FOURAMERICAN  NAVAtHEROl 


WRITE      YOUR      NAME      IN      THIS      SPACE      ONLY 


X* 


TFyrrr1 

1AKE   NO    OTHER    M  ARKS  WHATEVER    IN    YOUR     BOOKS 


/BERKELEY 

LIPRARY 

1      UNIVERSITY  Of 
^CALIFORNIA 


FOUR 

AMERICAN  NAVAL  HEROES 

PAUL  JONES  ADMIRAL   FARRAGUT 

OLIVER  H.  PERRY         ADMIRAL  DEWEY 

A  BOOK  FOR  YOUNG  AMERICANS 

BY  MABEL  BORTON  BEEBE 

WITH    AN    INTRODUCTION    BY    JAMES    BALDWIN 


NEW  YORK  -:-  CINCINNATI-:-  CHICAGO 

AMERICAN    BOOK    COMPANY 

JOHN  S.  PRELL 

Civil  &  Mechanical  Engineer. 

SAN  FRANCISCO,  CAL. 


THE 


FOUR    GREAT    AMERICANS    SERIES 

Biographical  Stories  of  Great  Americans 
for  Young  Americans 

EDITED    BY 

JAMES  BALDWIN,  Ph.D. 

IN  these  biographical  stories  the  lives  of  great  Amer 
icans  are  presented  in  such  a  manner  as  to  hold  the 
attention  of  the  youngest  reader.     In  these  lives  the 
child  finds  the  most  inspiring  examples  of  good  citizen 
ship  and  true  patriotism. 

VOLUMES  NOW  READY  : 

I.     FOUR  GREAT  AMERICANS 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON,  BENJAMJN  FRANKLIN 
DANIEL  WEBSTER,  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 
BY  JAMES  BALDWIN,  Ph.D. 
Cloth,  246  pages,      -  Price,  50  cents 

II.     FOUR  AMERICAN  PATRIOTS 

PATRICK  HENRY,  ALEXANDER  HAMILTON 
ANDREW  JACKSON,  U.  S.  GRANT 
BY  ALMA  HOLMAN  BURTON 
Author  of  "  The  Story  of  Our  Country,"  etc. 

Price,  50  cents 


III. 


Cloth,  254  pages,      - 

FOUR  AMERICAN  NAVAL  HEROES 

PAUL  JONES,  OLIVER  H.  PERRY 
ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT,  ADMIRAL  DEWEY 


BY  MABEL  BORTON  BEEBE 
Cloth,  254  pages.  B 


Price,  50  cents 


IV.     FOUR  AMERICAN  POETS 

WILLIAM  CULLEN  BRYANT,  HENRY  WADSWORTH 
LONGFELLOW,  JOHN  GREENLEAF  WHITTIER 
OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES 
BY  SHERWIN  CODY 
Cloth,  254  pages,     -  Price,  50  cents 

OTHER    VOLUMES    IN    I'RAPARATION 


COPYRIGHT,  1899,  BY  WERNER  SCHOOL  BOOK  COMPANY 


Naval  Heroes 


GIF! 


EDUC. 
LIBRARY 


INTRODUCTION. 


Four  times  in  the  history  of  our  country  has  the  American 
navy  achieved  renown  and  won  the  gratitude  of  the  nation. 
These  four  times  correspond,  of  course,  to  the  four  great 
wars  that  we  have  had  ;  and  with  the 
mention  of  each  the  name  of  a  famous 
hero  of  the  sea  is  at  once  brought  to 
mind.  What  would  the  Revolution 
have  been  without  its  Paul  Jones;  or 
the  War  of  1812,  without  its  Perry? 
How  differently  might  the  Civil  War  SEAL  OF  THE 

have  ended  but  for  its  Farragut  ;   and  u-  s-  NAVY- 

the  Spanish  War,  but  for  its  Dewey!  The  story  of  the 
achievements  of  these  four  men  covers  a  large  part  of  our 
naval  history. 

Six  months  after  the  battle  of  Lexington  the  Continental 
Congress  decided  to  raise  and  equip  a  fleet  to  help  carry  on 
the  war  against  England.  Before  the  end  of  the  year  (1775) 
seventeen  vessels  were  ready  for  service,  and  it  was  then 
that  Paul  Jones  began  his  public  career.  Many  other 
ships  were  soon  added. 

The  building  and  equipping  of  this  first  navy  was  largely 
intrusted  to  Ezek  Hopkins,  whom  Congress  had  appointed 
Commander-in-Chief,  but  it  does  not  seem  that  he  did  ah 

3 

802 


INTROD  UCTION. 


that    was  expected   of  him,  for  within  less  than  two  years 

he  was  dismissed.  He  was  the 
only  person  who  ever  held 
the  title  of  Commander-in-Chiet 
of  the  navy.  During  the  war 
several  other  vessels  were  added 
to  the  fleet,  and  over  800  prizes 
were  captured  from  the  Brit 
ish.  But  before  peace  was  de 
clared  twenty-four  of  our  ships 
had  been  taken  by  the  enemy, 
others  had  been  wrecked  in 
storms,  and  nearly  all  the  rest 
were  disabled.  There  was  no 

effort   to  build  other  vessels,  and  so,  for  many  years,  our 

country    had    no    navy. 
In    1794,    when  war 

with  the  Barbary  States 

was  expected,  Congress 

ordered  the  building  of 

six   large  frigates.      One 

of  these  was  the  famous 

Constitution,    which    is 

still  in  existence  and 

U  I,'    -U   T^        TT     i  THE    FRIGATE    CONSTITUTION. 

about  which  Dr.  Holmes 

wrote     the     well-known     poem    called    "Old     Ironsides." 


EZEK    HOPKINS. 


INTROD  UCTION. 


Through  all  the  earlier  years  of  our  history,  John  Adams 
used  his  influence  to  strengthen  our  power  on  the  sea; 
and  he  was  so  far  successful  that  he  has  often  been  called 
"The  Father  of  the  American  Navy."  When  the  War 
of  1812  began  the  United  States  owned  a  great  many 
gunboats  for  coast  defense,  besides  seventeen  sea-going 
vessels.  It  was  during 
this  wrar  that  the  navy 
especially  distinguished 
itself,  and  Oliver  Haz 
ard  Perry  made  his  name 
famous. 

The  ships  of  war  in 
those  earlier  times  were 
wooden  sailing  vessels, 
and  they  were  very  slow- 
goers  when  compared 

with  the  swift  cruisers  which  sail  the  ocean  now.  The 
largest  of  these  vessels  were  called  ships  of  the  line,  be 
cause  they  formed  the  line  of  battle  in  any  general  fight  at 
sea.  They  usually  had  three  decks,  with  guns  on  every 
deck.  The  upper  deck  was  often  covered  over,  and  on  the 
open  deck  thus  formed  above  there  was  a  fourth  tier  of  guns. 
This  open  deck  was  called  the  forecastle  and  quarter-deck. 
Some  of  the  largest  ships  of  the  line  carried  as  many  as 
120  guns  each  ;  the  smallest  was  built  to  carry  72  guns. 


A    SLOOP    OF    WAR. 


INTRODUCTION. 


Next  in  size  to  these  ships  were  the  frigates.  A  frigate 
had  only  one  covered  deck  and  the  open  forecastle  and 
quarter-deck  above  it,  and  therefore  had  but  two  tiers  of 
guns.  The  largest  frigate  carried  sixty  guns,  besides  a 
large  pivot  gun  at  the  bow.  The  American  frigates  were 
noted  for  their  speed. 

Still  smaller  than  the  frigates  were  the  corvettes,  or 
sloops  of  war,  as  they  are  more  commonly  called.  These 

had  but  one  tier  of 
guns,  and  that  was 
on  the  open  deck. 
They  were  rigged  like 
the  larger  vessels, 
with  three  masts  and 
square  sails. 

The  fourth  class  of 
vessels  included  the 
brigs  of  war,  which 

had  but  two  masts  and  carried  from  six  to  twenty 
guns.  Equal  to  them  in  size  were  the  schooners,  which 
also  had  two  masts,  but  were  rigged  fore-and-aft.  The 
guns  which  they  carried  were  commonly  much  smaller  than 
those  on  the  sloops  and  frigates. 

After  Robert  Fulton's  invention  of  the  steamboat  in  1807 
there  were  many  attempts  to  apply  steam  on  vessels  of 
war.  But  it  was  a  long  time  before  these  attempts  were 


THE    STEAM    FRIGATE    POWHATAN. 


INTRODUCTION. 


very  successful.  The  earliest  war  steamships  were  driven 
by  paddle-wheels,  placed  at  the  sides  of  the  vessels.  The 
paddles,  besides  taking  up  much  valuable  space,  were  ex 
posed  to  the  shots  of  the  enemy,  and  in  any  battle  were 
very  easily  crippled  and  made  useless.  But  the  speed  of 
these  vessels  was  much  greater  than  that  of  any  sailing 
ship,  and  this  alone  made  them  very  desirable.  For  many 


THE  MERRIMAC  AND  THE  MONITOR. 

years  steam  frigates  were  the  most  formidable  vessels  in 
the  navy.  The  first  successful  steamship  of  war  was  the 
English  frigate  Penelope,  which  was  built  in  1843,  and  car 
ried  forty-six  guns.  One  of  the  earliest  and  most  noted 
American  vessels  of  the  same  type  was  the  Powhatan.  The 
first  screw  line  of  battle  ship  was  built  by  the  French  in  1849. 
It  was  called  the  Napoleon,  and  carried  one  hundred  guns. 
It  was  so  successful  that  steamships  soon  began  to  take  the 
place  of  sailing  vessels  in  all  the  navies  of  the  world. 
Up  to  this  time  all  war  vessels  were  built  of  wood  ;  but 


g  INTRODUCTION. 


there  had  been  many  experiments  to  learn  whether  they 
might  not  be  protected  by  iron  plating.  The  first  iron-clad 
ship  was  built  in  France  in  1858  ;  and  not  long  after  that 
Great  Britain  added  to  her  navy  an  entire  fleet  of  iron-clads. 
All  these  were  built  after  the  same  pattern  as  wooden  ships, 
and  were  simply  covered  or  protected  with  iron  plates. 

The  first  iron-clads  used  in  our  own  navy  were  built  soon 
after  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War  (1861),  and  were  de 
signed  for  use  on  the  large  rivers  and  along  the  coast. 

They  were  called  "  tur 
tle-backs,"  and  were 
simply  large  steamboats 
covered  with  thick  slabs 
of  iron  and  carrying 
thirteen  guns  each.  The 

THE    BATTLESHIP    OREGON. 

iron  slabs    were    joined 

closely  together  and  laid  in  such  a  manner  as  to  inclose  the 
decks  with  sloping  sides  and  roofs.  The  first  great  deviation 
from  old  patterns  was  the  Monitor,  built  by  John  Ericsson 
in  1862.  She  was  the'strangest  looking  craft  that  had  ever 
been  seen,  and  has  been  likened  to  a  big  washtub  turned 
upside  down  and  floating  on  the  water.  The  Merrimac, 
which  she  defeated  in  Hampton  Roads,  was  a  wooden  frig 
ate  which  the  Confederates  had  made  into  an  iron-clad 
by  covering  her  with  railroad  rails.  They  had  also,  by 
giving  her  an  iron  prow,  converted  her  into  a  ram.  These 


IN  TR  OD  UC  TTON. 


two  vessels,  the  Monitor  and  the  Merrimac,  were  indirectly 
the  cause  of  a  great  revolution  in  naval  warfare  ;  they  were 
the  forerunners  of  all  the  modern  ships  of  war  now  in  ex 
istence.  The  nations  of  the  world  saw  at  once  that  there 
would  be  no  more  use  for  ships  of  the  line  and  wooden 
frigates  and  sloops  of  war. 

The  ships  that  have  been  built  since  that  time  are  entirely 
unlike  those  with  which  Paul  Jones  and  Commodore  Perry 
and  Admiral  Farragut 
won  their  great  victo 
ries.  The  largest  and 
most  formidable  of  the 
new  vessels  are  known 
as  battleships,  and  may 
be  briefly  described  as 

THE    DYNAMITE    CRUISER  VESUVIUS. 

floating    forts,    built    of 

steel  and  armed  with  powerful  guns.  These  are  named 
after  the  states,  as  the  Oregon,  the  Texas,  and  the 
Iowa.  Next  to  them  in  importance  are  the  great  monitors, 
such  as  the  Monadnock  and  the  Monterey.  These  are 
slow  sailers  but  terrible  fighters,  and  are  intended  chiefly 
for  harbor  defense.  The  cruisers,  which  rank  next,  are 
smaller  than  battleships  and  are  not  so  heavily  armed  ; 
but  they  are  built  for  speed,  and  their  swiftness  makes  up 
for  their  lack  of  strength.  Among  the  most  noted  of  these 
are  the  Brooklyn,  the  Columbia,  and  the  Minneapolis.  There 


INTROD  UCTION. 


are  also  smaller  cruisers,  such  as  the  Cincinnati  and  the 
Raleigh,  that  are  intended  rather  for  scout  duty  than  for  serv 
ice  in  battle.  Most  of  the  cruisers  are  named  after  cities. 
One  of  the  strangest  vessels  in  the  navy  is  the  dynamite 
cruiser  Vesuvius,  which  is  armed  with  terrible  dynamite 
guns.  Then  there  is  the  ram  Katahdin.  She  carries  no  heavy 
guns,  and  her  only  weapon  of  offense  is  a  powerful  ram. 
Her  speed  is  greater  than  that  of  most  battleships,  and  she 
is  protected  by  a  covering  of  the  heaviest  steel  armor. 
Besides  all  these  there  are  a  number  of  smaller  vessels, 
such  as  torpedo  boats  and  tugs. 

A  few  old-fashioned  wooden  vessels — steam  frigates  and 
sailing  vessels — are  still  to  be  found  in  our  navy  yards,  but 
these  would  be  of  no  use  in  a  battle. 

In  reading  of  the  exploits  of  our  great  naval  heroes  it  is 
well  to  keep  in  mind  these  wonderful  changes  that  have 
taken  place  in  the  navy.  Think  of  the  slow-going  wooden 
frigates  which  sailed  the  seas  in  the  time  of  Paul  Jones  or 
Commodore  Perry — how  small  and  insignificant  they  would 
be  if  placed  side  by  side  with  the  tremendous  Oregon  or 
with  the  cruisers  which  Admiral  Dewey  led  to  victory  in 
the  Bay  of  Manila!  But  if  the  glory  of  an  achievement  is 
measured  by  the  difficulties  that  are  encountered  and 
overcome,  to  whom  shall  we  award  the  greater  honor — to 
our  earlier  heroes,  or  to  our  later?  JAMES  BALDWIN. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGK 

INTRODUCTION 3 

THE  STORY  OF  PAUL  JONES 

I.  THE  LITTLE  SCOTCH  LAD  .         .          .         .17 

II.  THE  YOUNG  SAILOR 20 

III.  THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  AMERICAN  REVOLUTION     23 

IV.  LIEUTENANT  PAUL  JONES       ....          26 
V.  THE  CRUISE  OF  THE  ALFRED      .         .         .         .29 

VI.  CAPTAIN  PAUL  JONES 32 

VII.  THE  CRUISE  OF  THE  RANGER     .         .         .  -35 

VIII.  THE  RANGER  AND  THE  DRAKE       ...  41 

IX.  THE  BON  HOMME  RICHARD        .         .         .  -45 

X.  THE  GREAT  FIGHT  WITH  THE  SERAPIS    .         .  49 

XI.  HONOR  TO  THE  HERO 57 

XII.  THE  RETURN  TO  AMERICA  61 

XIII.  AMBITIOUS  HOPES     .  .63 

XIV.  SAD  DISAPPOINTMENTS  ....          66 

ii 


I  2  CONTENTS. 


THE    STORY    OF   OLIVER    H.  PERRY 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.      How  THE  PERRY  FAMILY  CAME  TO  RHODE 

ISLAND         ......  71 

II.  SCHOOL  DAYS 75 

III.  PLANS  FOR  THE  FUTURE 81 

IV.  THE  CRUISE  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES  ...  83 
V.  THE  WAR  WITH  THE  BARBARY  STATES       .          .  87 

VI.     MORE  TROUBLE  WITH  ENGLAND     ...         94 

VII.     WAR  ON  THE  CANADIAN  BORDER        .         .          .  100 

VIII.     OLIVER  PERRY  BUILDS  A  FLEET      .         .         .105 

IX.     "WE  HAVE  MET  THE  ENEMY  AND  THEY  ARE 

OURS"  .          .          .          .          .          .          .no 

X.     WHAT  PERRY'S  VICTORY  ACCOMPLISHED         .        117 

XL     ON  THE  MEDITERRANEAN  AGAIN         .         .         .  122 

XII.     CAPTAIN  PERRY'S  LAST  CRUISE     .         .         .'       126 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT 

I.  CHILDHOOD       .         .  ....  133 

II.  THE  LITTLE  MIDSHIPMAN  ....  138 

III.  THE  Loss  OF  THE  ESSEX          ....  144 

IV.  THE  TRIP  ON  THE  MEDITERRANEAN   .         .  147 
V.  WAR  WITH  THE  PIRATES          .         .                   .  150 


CONTENTS.  j  .- 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

VI.     FROM  LIEUTENANT  TO  CAPTAIN  .          .         155 

VII.     THE  QUESTION  OF  ALLEGIANCE  .          .          .    162 

VIII.     THE  CAPTURE  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  .          .         168 

IX.     THE  BATTLE  OF  MOBILE  BAY  .          .         .    177 

X.     WELL-EARNED  LAURELS       .  .                  186 


THE   STORY   OF   ADMIRAL   DEWEY 

FOREWORD — CAUSES  OF  THE  WAR  WITH  SPAIN  195 

I.      THE  BATTLE  OF  MANILA        ....  201 

II.      THE  BOYHOOD  OF  GEORGE  DEWEY      .          .  .  207 

III.  '  DEWEY  AS  A  NAVAL  CADET  ....  210 

IV.  FROM  LIEUTENANT  TO  COMMODORE    .          .  .212 
V.     THE  AMERICAN  NAVY  IN  CUBAN  WATERS       .  217 

VI.     THE  CRUISE  OF  THE  OREGON      ....  221 

VII.      LIEUTENANT  HOBSON  AND  THE  MERRIMAC      .  225 

VIII.     THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  CERVERA'S  FLEET    .  .  230 

IX.     THE  END  OF  THE  WAR           ....  236 

X.     LIFE  ON  AN  AMERICAN  MAN-OF-WAR          .  .  242 

XI.     SOME  FACTS  ABOUT  THE  NAVY  OF  1898          .  247 


THE  STORY  OF 

PAUL   JONES 


THE  STORY  OF  PAUL  JONES. 


I. — THE  LITTLE  SCOTCH  LAD. 

Many  years  ago  there  lived,  in  the  southwestern 
part  of  Scotland,  on  the  beautiful  bay  called 
Solway  Firth,  a  gentleman  whose  name  was  Mr. 
Craik.  In  Scotland,  a  large  farm  is  called  an 
estate.  Mr.  Craik  named  his  estate  Arbigland. 

His  large  house  stood  high  on  the  shore  over 
looking  the  sea.  The  lawn  sloped  gradually  to 
the  firth. 

Mr.  Craik's  gardener,  John  Paul,  lived  in  a 
cottage  on  the  estate.  Mr.  Craik  was  very  fond 
of  John  Paul,  for  he  worked  well.  He  made  the 
grounds  like  a  beautiful  park,  and  planted  many 
trees,  some  of  which  are  still  standing. 

One  day  John  Paul  married  Jean  Macduff. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  a  neighboring  farmer. 

She  and   John    lived   very  happily   in  their   little 

17 


j  g  THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 

cottage.  They  had  seven  children.  The  fifth 
child  was  a  boy,  named  for  his  father,  John  Paul. 
He  was  born  July  6,  1747. 

When  little  John  was  large  enough  to  run  about 
he  liked  to  play  on  the  beautiful  lawn  and  to 
wander  along  the  shore  of  the  firth.  Sometimes 
he  would  sit  still  for  hours  watching  the  waves. 

Sometimes  he  and  Mr.  Craik's  little  boy  would 
play  with  tiny  sailboats  and  paddle  about  in  the 
water.  When  they  grew  tired  of  this,  they  would 
climb  among  the  rocks  on  the  mountains  which 
were  back  of  the  estate. 

When  there  were  storms  at  sea,  vessels  would 
come  into  Solway  Firth  for  a  safe  harbor.  The 
water  was  very  deep  near  the  shore.  Because  of 
this  the  ships  could  come  so  near  the  lawn  of 
Arbigland  that  their  masts  seemed  to  touch  the 
overhanging  trees. 

Little  John  Paul  and  his  playmates  liked  to 
watch  the  sailors,  and  sometimes  could  even  talk 
to  them.  They  heard  many  wonderful  stories  of 
a  land  called  America,  where  grew  the  tobacco 
that  was  packed  in  some  of  the  ships. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


The  children  would  often  take  their  little  sail 
boats  to  some  inlet,  where  they  would  play  sailor. 
John  Paul  was  always  the  captain.  He  had  list 
ened  carefully  to  the  commands  given  by  the 
captains  of  the  large  vessels.  These  he  would 
repeat  correctly  and  with  great  dignity,  though  he 
did  not  always  understand  them. 

John  Paul  spent  more  time  in  this  kind  of  play 
than  in  going  to  school.  In  those  days  there  were 
few  schools,  and  book-learning  was  not  thought  to 
be  of  much  use.  At  a  parish  school  near  by,  John 
learned  to  spell  and  to  repeat  the  rules  of  gram 
mar. 

When  he  was  twelve  years  old  he  felt  that  the 
time  had  come  when  he  could  be  a  real  sailor.  So 
his  father  allowed  him  to  go  across  the  firth  to  an 
English  town  called  Whitehaven.  There  he  was 
apprenticed  to  Mr.  Younger,  a  merchant,  who 
owned  a  ship  and  traded  in  goods  brought  from 
foreign  lands. 

He  soon  went  to  sea  in  Mr.  Younger's  vessel, 
the  Friendship.  This  ship  was  bound  for  Amer 
ica  to  get  tobacco  from  the  Virginia  fields. 


2  Q  THE  S  TOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 

II. — THE  YOUNG  SAILOR. 

At  that  time  the  trip  across  the  Atlantic  could 
not  be  made  as  quickly  as  now.  There  were  no 
steamships,  and  the  sailing  vessels  had,  of  course, 
to  depend  upon  the  wind  to  carry  them  to  their 
destination.  It  was  several  months  before  the 
Friends/lip  anchored  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rappa- 
hannock  River. 

Farther  inland,  on  this  river,  was  the  town  of 
Fredericksburg.  John  Paul's  eldest  brother,  Wil 
liam,  lived  there.  He  had  left  his  Scottish  home 
many  years  before,  and  had  come  with  his  wife  to 
Virginia.  Here  he  was  now  living  on  his  own 
plantation,  where  he  raised  tobacco  for  the  English 
market. 

While  the  Friendship  was  in  port  being  loaded 
for  its  return  voyage,  John  Paul  went  to  Freder 
icksburg  to  stay  with  his  brother.  While  there 
he  spent  the  most  of  his  time  in  hard  study. 
Although  he  was  still  young,  he  had  found  that 
he  could  not  succeed  as  he  wished  with  so  little 
education. 

It  was  during  these  months  in  America  that  he 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES.  2  I 

formed  the  habit  of  study.  All  through  the 
remainder  of  his  life  his  leisure  time  was  given  to 
the  reading  of  books. 

After  he  returned  to  Scotland  he  spent  six  years 
in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Younger.  During  that  time 
he  learned  a  great  deal  about  good  seamanship. 

When  John  Paul  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  the 
loss  of  money  compelled  Mr.  Younger  to  give  up 
his  business. 

John  Paul  was  soon  afterward  made  mate  on  a 
slaver  called  the  Two  Friends.  This  was  a  vessel 
whose  sole  business  was  the  carrying  of  slaves 
from  Africa  to  America  and  other  countries. 

People  at  that  time  did  not  think  there  was  any 
wrong  in  slave-trading.  It  was  a  very  profitable 
business.  Even  the  sailors  made  more  money 
than  did  those  on  vessels  engaged  in  any  other 
business. 

The  Two  Friends  carried  a  cargo  of  slaves  to 
Jamaica,  an  English  possession  in  the  West  Indies. 
As  soon  as  port  was  reached,  John  Paul  left  the 
vessel.  He  said  that  he  would  never  again  sail  on 
a  slave-trading  voyage.  He  could  not  endure  to 


2  2  THE  S  TOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 

see  men  and  women  treated  so  cruelly,  and  bought 
and  sold  like  cattle. 

He  sailed  for  home  as  a  passenger  on  board 
a  small  trading  vessel.  On  the  voyage  both  the 
captain  and  the  mate  died  of  fever,  and  the  ship 
with  all  its  passengers  was  in  mid-ocean  with  no 
one  to  command. 

John  Paul  took  the  captain's  place,  for  no  one 
else  knew  so  much  about  seamanship.  This  was 
a  daring  thing  for  one  so  young,  as  he  was  not  yet 
twenty  years  old. 

When  he  brought  the  vessel  safely  into  port, 
the  owners  were  so  grateful  to  him  that  they  made 
him  the  captain. 

Soon  afterward  he  sailed  for  the  West  Indies. 
The  carpenter  on  board  was,  one  day,  very  dis 
respectful  to  the  young  captain.  He  was  pun 
ished  by  a  flogging,  and  was  discharged.  Not 
long  after  this  he  died  of  a  fever. 

The  enemies  of  John  Paul,  who  were  jealous 
of  him,  thought  this  was  their  chance  to  do  him 
harm.  They  said  that  the  flogging  had  killed 
the  carpenter. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES.  2  ~ 


Many  people  believed  this,  and  when  John 
Paul  again  returned  to  Scotland,  he  found  that 
his  friends  had  lost  their  faith  in  him. 

During  the  next  two  years  he  made  several 
voyages,  but  all  the  while  he  remembered  the  in 
justice  done  to  him.  He  finally  succeeded,  how 
ever,  in  proving  to  his  friends  that  he  was  worthy 
of  their  confidence. 


III. — THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  AMERICAN  REVO 
LUTION. 

When  John  Paul  visited  his  brother  in  Virginia, 
America  was  not  much  like  what  it  is  now.  Most 
of  the  country  was  an  unexplored  wilderness,  and 
there  was  no  United  States  as  we  know  it  to-day. 

Some  large  settlements,  known  as  colonies,  had 
been  made  in  that  part  of  the  country  which  lies 
between  the  Atlantic  Ocean  and  the  Alleghany 
Mountains. 

Most  of  the  people  who  lived  in  these  colonies 
were  English,  and  their  governors  were  appointed 
by  the  king  of  England. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


Each  governor,  with  the  help  of  a  few  men 
whom  he  chose  from  the  people,  would  make 
laws  for  the  colony. 

Not  all  the  laws  were  made  in  this  way.  Some 
times  the  king,  without  caring  for  the  wishes  of 
the  colonists,  would  make  laws  to  suit  himself. 

Up  to  this  time  the  people  had  been  obedient 
and  loyal  to  their  king.  But  when  George  the 
Third  came  to  the  throne  of  England,  he  caused 
the  people  a  great  deal  of  trouble. 

He  sent  orders  to  the  governors  that  the  col 
onists  should  trade  with  no  other  country  than 
his  own. 

All  their  goods  should  be  bought  in  England, 
and,  to  pay  for  them,  they  must  send  to  the 
same  country  all  the  corn,  cotton,  and  tobacco 
which  they  had  to  sell.  The  colonists  wished  to 
build  factories  and  weave  their  own  cloth,  but  the 
king  would  not  allow  this. 

For  a  long  while  England  had  been  at  war 
with  France.  King  George  said  that  the  colonists 
should  help  pay  the  expenses  of  that  war,  and 
therefore  he  began  to  tax  them  heavily. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


They  were  obliged  to  pay  a  tax  on  every  pound 
of  tea,  and  stamped  paper  must  be  bought  for 
every  legal  document. 

The  colonists  were  much  aroused  on  account 
of  the  tea  tax  and  the  stamp  act,  as  it  was  called. 

One  day  startling  news  came  to  John  Paul  in 
Virginia.  A  shipload  of  tea  had  anchored  in 
Boston  harbor.  The  colonists  declared  that  they 
would  not  pay  the  tax  on  this  tea,  and  some  of 
them,  dressed  as  Indians,  had  gone  on  board  the 
vessel  and  thrown  it  all  into  the  harbor. 

JLater  on,  came  the  news  that  the  king  had  sent 
his  English  soldiers  to  Boston  to  keep  the  people 
quiet.  He  had  also  closed  the  port  of  Boston 
and  said  that  no  more  ships  should  come  in  or 
go  out.  This  aroused  the  whole  country.  Every 
body  felt  that  something  must  be  done  to  preserve 
the  freedom  of  the  people. 

Each  colony  chose  men  as  delegates  to  confer 
together  about  what  was  best  to  be  done.  The 
delegates  met  in  Philadelphia  on  the  5th  of  Sep 
tember,  1774.  That  meeting  has  since  been 
called  the  First  Continental  Congress  of  America. 


2  5  THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 

The  delegates  of  the  colonies  decided  to  send  a 
petition  to  the  king  asking  that  he  would  remove 
the  taxes  and  not  make  unjust  laws. 

All  winter  the  people  waited  for  an  answer,  but 
as  none  came,  matters  grew  worse  in  the  spring. 

On  the  i Qth  of  April,  1775,  a  battle  was  fought 
with  the  king's1  soldiers  at  Lexington,  in  Massachu 
setts.  This  was  the  first  battle  of  the  American 
Revolution. 


IV. — LIEUTENANT  PAUL  JONES. 

In  the  year  1773,  soon  after  the  trouble  with 
England  had  begun,  John  Paul's  brother  William 
died  in  Virginia.  He  left  some  money  and  his 
plantation,  but  had  made  no  will  to  say  who  should 
have  them.  He  had  no  children,  and  his  wife  had 
been  dead  for  years. 

His  father  had  died  the  year  before,  and  John 
was  the  only  one  of  the  family  now  living  who 
could  manage  the  estate. 

So  he  left  the  sea  and  went  to  live  on  the  farm 
near  Fredericksburg,  in  Virginia.  He  thought  that 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES.  2  ^ 

he  would  spend  the  rest  of  his  life  in  the  quiet 
country,  and  never  return  to  the  sea. 

He  soon  learned  to  love  America  very  dearly, 
even  more  than  he  did  his  own  country.  He 
wanted  to  see  the  colonists  win  in  their  struggle  for 
their  rights. 

But  so  good  a  sailor  could  not  be  a  good  farmer. 
In  two  years  the  farm  was  in  a  bad  condition  and 
all  the  money  left  by  his  brother  had  been  spent. 
The  agents  in  Scotland,  with  whom  John  Paul 
had  left  money  for  the  care  of  his  mother  and  sis 
ters,  had  proved  to  be  dishonest,  and  this  money 
also  had  been  lost. 

In  the  midst  of  these  perplexities,  he  decided  to 
serve  America  in  the  war  which  every  one  saw  was 
now  inevitable. 

Another  congress  of  delegates  from  the  colonies 
met  in  1775,  and  made  preparations  for  that  war. 
The  colonists  were  organized  into  an  army,  with 
George  Washington  as  the  commander  in  chief. 

A  fleet  of  English  vessels  had  been  sent  across 
the  Atlantic.  The  swiftest  of  these  sailed  up  and 
down  the  Atlantic  coast,  forcing  the  people  in  the 


28 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


towns  to  give  provisions  to  the  king's  sailors  and 
soldiers.  Other  vessels  were  constantly  coming 
over,  loaded  with  arms  and  ammunition  for  the 
English  soldiers. 

George  Washington's  army  was  almost  without 
ammunition.  There  was 
very  little  gunpowder  made 
in  this  country  at  that 
time,  and  the  need  of  it 
was  very  great. 

It  was  thought  that  the 
best  way  to  supply  the 
American  army  with  am 
munition  was  to  capture 
the  English  vessels.  It  was 

for  this  purpose  that  the  first  American  navy  was 
organized. 

The  first  navy  yard  was  established  at  Plym 
outh.  Here  a  few  schooners  and  merchant  ves 
sels  were  equipped  with  cannon  as  warships. 
These  were  manned  by  bold,  brave  men,  who, 
since  boyhood,  had  been  on  the  sea  in  fishing  or 
trading  vessels. 


JOHN    ADAMS. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES.  2  g 


No  member  of  the  Continental  Congress  did 
more  to  strengthen  and  enlarge  this  first  navy  than 
John  Adams. 

In  1775  John  Paul  settled  up  his  affairs,  left  the 
Virginia  farm,  and  went  to  Philadelphia  to  offer  his 
services  to  the  naval  committee  of  Congress. 

He  gave  his  name  as  John  Paul  Jones.  Just 
why  he  did  this,  we  do  not  know.  Perhaps  he  did 
not  wish  his  friends  in  Scotland  to  know  that  he 
had  taken  up  arms  against  his  native  country. 

Perhaps  he  thought  that,  should  he  ever  be 
captured  by  the  English,  it  would  go  harder  with 
him  if  they  should  know  his  English  name.  We 
cannot  tell.  Hereafter  we  shall  call  him  Paul 
Jones,  as  this  is  the  name  by  which  he  was  known 
during  the  rest  of  his  life. 

Congress  accepted  his  offer  and  he  was  made 
first  lieutenant  on  the  Alfred,  a  flag-ship. 


V. — THE  CRUISE  OF  THE  ALFRED. 
The    young    lieutenant   was    now   twenty-nine 
years  old.     His  health  was  excellent  and  he  could 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


endure  great  fatigue.  His  figure  was  light,  grace 
ful,  and  active.  His  face  was  stern  and  his  man 
ner  was  soldierly.  He  was  a  fine  seaman  and 
familiar  with  armed  vessels. 

He   knew  that  the   men  placed  above    him  in 
the  navy  had  had  less  experience  than  he.      But 
he    took    the   position    given    him 
without  complaint. 

When  the  commander  of  the 
Alfred  came  on  board,  Paul  Jones 
hoisted  the  American  flag.  This 
was  the  first  time  a  flag  of  our 

THE  PINE  TREE  FLAG. 

own  had  ever  been  raised. 

We  do  not  know  just  what  this  flag  was  like, 
but  some  of  the  earliest  naval  flags  bore  the 
picture  of  a  pine  tree;  others  had  a  rattlesnake 
stretched  across  the  stripes,  and  the  words,  *  'Don't 
tread  on  me."  Our  present  flag  was  not  adopted 
until  two  years  later. 

On  the  1 7th  of  February,  1776,  the  first  Ameri 
can  squadron  sailed  for  the  Bahama  Islands. 

On  the  way,  two  British  sloops  were  captured. 
The  English  sailors  told  the  Americans  that  on  the 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES.  ~  j 

island  of  New  Providence  were  forts,  which  con 
tained  a  large  amount  of  military  supplies.  They 
said  that  these  forts  could  easily  be  taken. 

The  soldiers  on  a  vessel  are  called  marines. 
A  plan  was  made  to  hide  the  American  marines 
in  the  British  sloops.  In  that  way  it  was  thought 
they  could  go  safely  into  the  harbor  of  New 
Provideace.  Then  they  could  land 
and  take  possession  of  the  forts. 

This  plan  would  have  been 
successful,  but  for  one  foolish  mis 
take.  The  squadron  sailed  so 
close  to  the  harbor  during  the  THE  RATTLESNAKE 

FLAG. 

night  that  in  the  morning  all  the 
ships  could  be  seen  from  the  shore.  The  war  ves 
sels  should  have  remained  out  of  sight  until  the 
marines  had  been  safely  landed  from  the  sloops. 
The  alarm  was  spread,  and  the  sloops  were  not 
allowed  to  cross  the  bar. 

The  commander  of  the  squadron  then  planned 
to  land  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  island  and 
take  the  forts  from  the  rear,  but  Paul  Jones 
told  him  he  could  not  do  this.  There  was  no 


~  2  THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


place  to  anchor  the  squadron,  and  no  road  to  the 
forts. 

However,  he  had  learned  from  the  pilots  of  a 
good  landing  not  far  from  the  harbor.  When  he 
told  the  commander  of  this,  he  was  only  rebuked 
for  confiding  in  pilots. 

So  Paul  Jones  undertook,  alone,  to  conduct  the 
Alfred  to  the  landing  he  had  found.  He  suc 
ceeded  in  doing  this  and  the  whole  squadron 
afterwards  followed. 

The  English  soldiers  abandoned  the  forts,  and 
the  squadron  sailed  away  the  same  day,  carrying 
a  hundred  cannon  and  other  military  stores. 


VI. — CAPTAIN  PAUL  JONES. 

A  short  time  after  this,  the  American  squadron 
tried  to  capture  a  British  ship  called  the  Glasgow, 
but  the  attempt  was  not  successful. 

Because  of  this  failure,  one  of  the  captains  was 
dismissed  from  the  navy,  and  the  command  of  his 
vessel  was  given  to  Lieutenant  Jones.  This  vessel 
was  named  the  Providence. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES.  -  ^ 


With  it  and  the  Alfred,  which  he  also  com 
manded,  Captain  Jones  captured  sixteen  prizes  in 
six  weeks.  Among  them  were  cargoes  of  coal  and 
dry  goods. 

Best  of  all,  he  captured  an  English  vessel  bound 
for  Canada,  full  of  warm  clothing  for  the  British 
soldiers.  This  was  a  prize  that  proved  of  great 
value  to  General  Washington's  poorly  clothed 
army. 

In  those  days  there  were  selfish  people  just  as 
now.  In  January,  1777,  a  jealous  commodore 
succeeded  in  depriving  Paul  Jones  of  his  position 
as  captain.  He  was  now  without  ship  or  rank. 
When  he  appealed  to  Congress  he  was  put  off  with 
promises  from  time  to  time.  It  was  not  until  May 
that  his  petitions  were  heard. 

There  were  three  new  ships  being  built  for  the 
navy  at  Boston.  Congress  gave  him  permission 
to  choose  one  of  these  and  have  it  fitted  out  as  he 
wished. 

While  waiting  in  Boston  for  these  ships  to  be 
finished,  Paul  Jones  wrote  many  wise  suggestions 
about  the  management  of  the  navy.  Congress  at 


34 


THE  STORY  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


first  paid  but  little  attention  to  these  suggestions, 
but  was  afterwards  glad  to  act  upon  them. 
These  were  some  of  the  things  he  said: 
"  i.   Every  officer  should  be  examined   before 
he  receives  his  commission. 

"2.  The  ranks  in  a  navy 
should  correspond  to  those 
in  an  army. 

"3.  As  England  has  the 
best  navy  in  the  world,  we 
should  copy  hers. " 

Before  the  ship  he  had 
chosen  was  completed,  he 
was  ordered  to  wait  no 
longer  in  Boston,  but  to 
take  the  Ranger,  an  old 
vessel,  and  sail  at  once  for  France.  Through  the 
efforts  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  the  American  Min 
ister  to  France,  the  French  king  had  acknowledged 
the  independence  of  the  colonies,  and  was  ready 
to  aid  the  Americans  in  the  war. 

Paul  Jones  was  to  carry  a  letter  from  Congress 
to  the  American  commissioners  in  Paris. 


BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES.  ~  r 


This  letter  told  the  commissioners  to  buy  a  new 
fast-sailing  frigate  for  Captain  Jones,  and  to  have 
it  fitted  up  as  he  desired.  They  were  then  to 
advise  him  as  to  what  he  should  do  with  it. 


VII. — THE  CRUISE  OF  THE  RANGER. 

When  the  Ranger  sailed  out  of  Boston  harbor, 
the  stars  and  stripes  of  the  American  republic 
waved  from  the  mast  head. 

Paul  Jones  was  the  first  naval  officer  to  raise 
this  flag.  You  remember  that  two  years  before, 
on  the  Alfred,  he  had  first  hoisted  the  pine  tree 
emblem. 

When  Jones  with  his  ship  entered  Quiberon  Bay, 
in  France,  the  French  admiral  there  saluted  the 
American  flag.  This  was  the  first  time  that  a  for 
eign  country  had  recognized  America  as  an  inde 
pendent  nation. 

Paul  Jones  anchored  the  Ranger  at  Brest  and 
went  to  Paris  to  deliver  his  letter,  and  lay  his  plans 
before  the  commissioners.  He  told  them  two 
important  things: 


3 6  THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 

First,  that  our  navy  was  too  small  to  win  in 
open  battle  with  the  fleets  of  the  English. 

Second,  that  the  way  to  keep  the  English  ves 
sels  from  burning,  destroying,  and  carrying  away 
property  on  the  American  coasts,  was  to  send 
vessels  to  the  English  coasts  to  annoy  the  English 
in  the  same  way. 

The  commissioners  thought  that  these  plans 
should  be  carried  out  at  once;  and  since  a  new 
frigate  could  not  be  purchased  for  some  time,  they 
refitted  the  Ranger  for  his  use. 

On  April  10,  1778,  Paul  Jones  set  out  on  what 
proved  to  be  a  memorable  cruise. 

You  remember  that  when  he  first  went  to  sea, 
as  a  boy,  he  sailed  from  Whitehaven.  This  town 
is  on  the  English  coast,  just  across  the  Solway 
Firth  from  John  Paul's  old  home. 

He  knew  there  were  large  shipping  yards  there, 
and  he  determined  to  set  fire  to  them.  He 
planned  to  reach  the  harbor  in  the  night,  and  burn 
the  ships  while  the  people  were  asleep. 

Because  of  the  wind  and  tides,  it  was  nearly 
midnight  when  he  arrived.  He  found  three 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


37 


hundred  vessels  of  different  kinds  lying  in  the 
harbor.  His  men  were  put  into  two  small  boats, 
and  each  boat  was  ordered  tc  set  fire  to  half  the 
ships. 

It  was  nearly  daylight  when  they  rowed  away 
from  the  Ranger.  Nothing  could  be  heard  but  the 
splashing  of  their  oars.  Their  flickering  torches 
showed  to  them  the  old  sleeping  town,  with  the 
many  white  ships  along  the  shore. 

Leaving  orders  that  the  fire  be  speedily  kindled, 
Captain  Jones  took  with  him  a  few  men,  and  scaled 
the  walls  of  the  batteries  which  protected  the 
harbor.  He  locked  the  sleeping  sentinels  in  the 
guardhouse  and  spiked  the  cannon. 

Then,  sending  his  men  back  to  the  harbor,  he 
went,  with  one  man  only,  to  another  fort,  which 
was  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away.  Here  he  also 
spiked  the  guns. 

After  all  this  had  been  done  he  returned  to  his 
boats  to  find  that  his  sailors  had  done  nothing. 
Not  one  ship  was  on  fire! 

The  lieutenant  in  charge  told  Paul  Jones  that 
their  torches  had  gone  out.  ' '  Anyway,  "  he  said, 


3  g  THE  S  TOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 

''nothing  can  be  gained  by  burning  poor  people's 
property. " 

Determined  that  they  should  not  leave  the  har 
bor  until  something  was  destroyed,  Paul  Jones  ran 
to  a  neighboring  house  and  got  a  light.  With  this 
he  set  fire  to  the  largest  ship. 

By  this  time  the  people  had  been  aroused,  and 
hundreds  were  running  to  the  shore. 

There  was  no  time  to  do  more.  The  sailors 
hastened  back  to  the  Ranger,  taking  with  them 
three  prisoners,  whom  Paul  Jones  said  he  would 
show  as  ''samples." 

The  soldiers  tried  to  shoot  the  sailors  from  the 
forts;  but  they  could  do  nothing  with  the  spiked 
guns.  The  sailors  amused  themselves  by  firing 
back  pistol  shots. 

On  reaching  the  ship  they  found  that  a  man  was 
missing.  Paul  Jones  was  afraid  that  harm  had 
befallen  him.  He  need  not  have  been  troubled, 
however,  for  the  man  was  a  deserter.  He  spread 
the  alarm  for  miles  along  the  shore.  The  people 
afterward  called  him  the  "Savior  of  Whitehaven. " 

Paul  Jones  was  greatly  disappointed  by  the  fail- 


THE  S  TOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES.  ~,  g 


ure  of  his  plans.  He  knew  that  if  he  had  reached 
the  harbor  a  few  hours  earlier  he,  could  have 
burned,  not  only  all  the  ships,  but  the  entire  town. ' 

Although  the  plan  to  destroy  English  property 
to  aid  the  American  cause,  was  a  wise  one,  from 
a  military  point  of  view,  yet  we  cannot  understand 
why  Paul  Jones  should  have  selected  Whitehaven 
for  this  destruction.  There  he  had  received  kind 
ness  and  employment  when  a  boy.  His  mother 
and  sisters  lived  just  across  the  bay,  and  had  he 
succeeded  in  burning  Whitehaven,  the  people,  in 
their  anger,  might  have  injured  the  family  of  the 
man  who  had  so  cruelly  harmed  them.  We  won 
der  if  he  thought  of  these  things. 

The  Earl  of  Selkirk  lived  near  Whitehaven,  on 
St.  Mary's  Isle.  As  the  Ranger  sailed  by  this 
island,  Paul  Jones  thought  it  would  be  well  to  take 
the  earl  prisoner. 

There  were  many  Americans  held  as  prisoners, 
by  the  English,  and  the  earl  could  be  exchanged 
for  some  of  these. 

So,  with  a  few  men,  Paul  Jones  rowed  to  the 
shore,  where  some  fishermen  told  him  that  the  earl 


THE  STORY  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


was  away  from  home.  Paul  Jones  started  to  go 
back  to  his  vessel.  But  his  sailors  were  disap 
pointed  and  asked  his  permission  to  go  to  the 
earl's  house  and  take  away  the  silver. 

Paul  Jones  did  not  like  this  plan,  but  at  last  con 

sented. 

with    the 


He  did  not  go 
men,    how 
ever,    but    walked   up 
and   down    the  shore 
until  they  returned. 

The  sailors  found 
Lady  Selkirk  and  her 
family  at  breakfast. 
They  took  all  the  sil 
ver  from  the  table, 
put  it  into  a  bag,  and 
returned  to  the  ship. 
Paul  Jones  was  al 

ways  troubled  about  this.  He  afterwards  bought 
the  silver  for  a  large  sum  of  money,  and  sent  it 
back  to  Lady  Selkirk  with  a  letter  of  apology. 

The  people  in  the  neighborhood  were  frightened 
when  they  heard  of  the  earl's  silver   being  taken. 


MAP  OF   THE    IRISH    SEA,   SHOWING 
THE    CRUISE   OF    THE    RANGER. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


They  ran  here  and  there,  hiding  their  valuables. 
Some  of  them  dragged  a  cannon  to  the  shore, 
and  spent  a  night  firing  at  what  they  supposed 
in  the  darkness  to  be  Paul  Jones'  vessel.  In  the 
morning  they  found  they  had  wasted  all  their 
powder  on  a  rock! 

The  next  day  the  alarm  was  carried  to  all  the 
towns  along  the  shore:  ''Beware  of  Paul  Jones,  the 
pirate!" 


VIII. — THE  RANGER  AND  THE  DRAKE. 

An  English  naval  vessel  called  the  Drake  was 
sent  out  to  capture  the  Ranger.  Every  one  felt 
sure  that  she  would  be  successful,  and  five  boat 
loads  of  men  went  out  with  her  to  see  the  fight. 

When  the  Drake  came  alongside  of  the  Ranger, 
she  hailed  and  asked  what  ship  it  was.  Paul  Jones 
replied:  "The  American  Continental  ship  Ranger! 
Come  on!  We  are  waiting  for  you!" 

After  a  battle  of  one  hour,  the  Drake  surren 
dered.  The  captain  and  forty-two  men  had  been 
killed,  and  the  vessel  was  badly  injured.  Paul 


THE  STORY  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


Jones   lost  only   his   lieutenant    and   one   seaman. 
Six  others  were  wounded,  one  of  whom  died. 

This  was  a  great  victory  for  Paul  Jones.      The 
Drake  not  only  mounted  two  more  guns  than  the 


THE  RANGER  AND  THE  DRAKE. 


Ranger,  but  was  manned  by  a  crew  that  was  much 
better  drilled.  The  vessel  belonged  to  the  well- 
established  English  navy,  which  was  accustomed 
to  victory  on  the  seas. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES.  *  * 


Towing  the  Drake,  Paul  Jones  sailed  northward 
in  safety.  Then,  leaving  the  Irish  Sea,  he  sailed 
around  the  north  coast  of  Ireland  and  returned  to 
the  harbor  at  Brest,  with  the  Drake  and  two  hun 
dred  prisoners.  This  was  just  a  month  from  the 
day  he  had  set  out  on  his  cruise. 

The  French  government  had  now  concluded  an 
alliance  with  the  American  republic.  War  had 
been  openly  declared  between  France  and  Eng 
land,  and  all  the  French  people  rejoiced  over  the 
victory  of  the  Ranger. 

Paul  Jones  was  not  sorry  when  Congress  sent 
him  an  order  to  bring  his  vessel  to  America.  It 
was  needed  to  protect  the  coasts  of  New  Jersey 
from  the  war  ships  of  the  British. 

The  French  king  did  not  like  brave  Paul  Jones  to 
return  to  America.  He  wished  him  to  remain 
where  he  could  be  of  more  direct  service  to 
France.  He  therefore  caused  letters  to  be  sent  to 
him,  promising  that  if  he  would  stay  on  that  side 
of  the  Atlantic  he  should  have  command  of  the  new 
frigate  he  had  wished  for  so  long. 

Pleased  with  the   prospect  of  this,  he  gave   up 


44 


THE  STOK  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


the    command    of    the    Ranger,    and   it  sailed  to 
America  under  a  new  captain. 

But  promises  are  often  more  easily  made  than 
kept.  The  French  navy  was  well  supplied  with 
ships  and  officers.  These  officers  were  jealous 
of  the  success  of  Paul  Jones,  and  did  all  they 
could  to  prevent  him  from  obtaining  his  commis 
sion. 

The  summer  and  most  of  the  winter  of  1778 
passed  away,  and  Paul  Jones  was  still  waiting  for 
his  ship.  He  began  to  wish  he  had  gone  to 
America. 

Some  wealthy  men  offered  him  a  ship  if  he 
would  take  charge  of  a  trading  expedition  for  them. 
To  do  this,  he  must  give  up  his  commission  in  the 
American  navy,  and  so  Paul  Jones  said,  "  As  a 
servant  of  the  republic  of  America,  I  cannot  serve 
either  myself  or  my  best  friends,  unless  the  honor 
of  America  is  the  first  object." 

During  these  months  of  waiting,  his  only  weapon 
was  his  pen.  He  wrote  letters  of  appeal  to  all 
persons  of  influence,  to  Congress,  and  also  to  the 
king  of  France. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


45 


IX.. — THE  BON  HOMME  RICHARD. 

One  day,  when  Paul  Jones  was  reading    ' '  Poor 
Richard's  Almanac,"  written  by  Dr.  Franklin,  he 
found  a  paragraph  which  set  him  to  thinking.      It 
was:      "  If  you  would  have  your  business  done,  go; 
if  not,  SEND." 

He  sent  no  more  letters,  but  went  at  once  to  the 
French  court  and  pleaded  his  case  there  in  person. 
As  a  result,  he  was  soon  after  made  commander 
of  a  vessel  which  he  named  the  Bon  Homme  Rich 
ard,  which  means  Poor  Richard.  He  did  this  out 
of  gratitude  to  Dr.  Franklin. 


46 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


The  Bon  Homme  Richard  was  an  old  trading 
vessel,  poorly  fitted  out  for  war.  But  after  his  long 
months  of  waiting,  Paul  Jones  was  thankful  even 
for  this. 

He  was  also  given  command  of  four  smaller  ves 
sels.  One  of  these,  the  Alliance,  had,  for  captain, 
a  Frenchman  named  Pierre  Landais,  who  was 

afterwards  the  cause  of 
much  trouble.  Paul  Jones 
was  ordered  to  cruise  with 
his  small  squadron  along 
the  west  coast  of  Ireland 
and  to  capture  all  the  Eng 
lish  merchant  vessels  he 
could  find. 

The  officer  next  in  com 
mand  to  Paul  Jones  was 
Lieutenant  Richard  Dale, 

who  has  since  been  remembered  not  only  for  his 
bravery  during  that  famous  cruise,  but  for  his  serv 
ice  to  the  country  at  a  later  period. 

On  the  1 4th  of  August,  1779,  the  ships  put  to 
sea.  When  they  reach  ed  the  southern  point  of  Ire- 


RICHARD    DALE. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES.  *  j 


land,  one  of  the  four  small  vessels  was  left  behind 
and  deserted. 

Cruising  northward,  the  squadron  soon  cap 
tured  two  valuable  prizes.  Without  asking  the 
permission  of  Paul  Jones,  Captain  Landais  sent 
these  captured  vessels  to  Norway. 

On  the  way,  they  were  taken  by  the  Danes,  who 
returned  them  to  England.  The  value  of  these 
prizes,  thus  lost  through  Captain  Landais,  was 
about  ,£40,000,  or  nearly  $200,000. 

The  squadron  sailed  round  the  north  of  Scot 
land,  and  down  the  eastern  coast  until  it  came  to 
the  Firth  of  Forth.  Here  was  the  town  of  Leith, 
and  in  its  harbor  lay  some  English  war  vessels. 

Paul  Jones  wished  to  capture  these.  The  winds 
were  favorable,  and  a  landing  could  easily  have 
been  made  but  for  Captain  Landais. 

Paul  Jones  spent  a  whole  night  persuading 
this  troublesome  captain  to  help  him.  It  was 
only  with  a  promise  of  money  that  he  at  last 
succeeded.  But  in  the  morning  the  winds  were 
contrary. 

That    day    the  Richard    captured   an    English 


48 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JO&ES. 


merchant  ship.  The  captain  promised  Paul  Jones 
that  if  he  would  allow  his  vessel  to  go  free,  he 
would  pilot  the  squadron  into  the  harbor. 

The  people,  seeing  the  fleet  piloted  by  the 
English  vessel,  supposed*  the  visit  to  be  a  friendly 
one.  So  they  sent  a  boat  out  to  the  Richard, 
asking  for  powder  and  shot  to  defend  the  town 
from  the  visit  of  "Paul  Jones  the  pirate." 

Jones  sent  back  a  barrel  of  powder  with  the  mes 
sage  that  he  had  no  suitable  shot.  It  was  not  until 
the  vessels  were  nearing  the  harbor  that  the  object 
of  the  visit  was  suspected.  The  people,  in  their 
fright,  ran  to  the  house  of  the  minister.  He  had 
helped  them  when  in  trouble  at  other  times,  and 
could  surely  do  something  now. 

The  good  man,  with  his  flock  following  him,  ran 
to  the  beach,  where  he  made  a  strange  prayer. 

He  told  the  Lord  that  the  people  there  were 
very  poor,  and  that  the  wind  was  bringing  to  the 
shore  that  ' '  vile  pirate, "  Paul  Jones,  who  would 
burn  their  houses  and  take  away  even  their  clothes. 
"I  canna  think  of  it!  I  canna  think  of  it!  I 
have  long  been  a  faithful  servant  to  ye,  O  Lord. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES.  .  Q 

But  gin  ye  dinna  turn  the  wind  aboot  and  blaw 
the  scoundrel  out  of  our  gates,  I'll  nae  stir  a 
foot,  but  will  just  sit  here  till  the  tide  comes  in." 

Just  then  a  violent  gale  sprang  up,  and  by  the 
time  it  had  abated  the  squadron  had  been  driven 
so  far  out  to  sea  that  the  plan  was  given  up. 

Long  afterward,  the  good  minister  would  often 
say,  "I  prayed,  but  the  Lord  sent  the  wind." 


X. — THE  GREAT  FIGHT  WITH  THE  SERAPIS. 

Paul  Jones  next  cruised  up  and  down  the  eastern 
coast  of  England,  trying  to  capture  some  merchant 
ships  that  were  bound  for  London. 

About  noon,  on  September  23,  1779,  he  saw  not 
far  from  the  shore  an  English  fleet,  sailing  from 
the  north.  It  was  convoyed  by  two  new  war  ships, 
the  Serapis  and  the  Countess  of  Scarborough. 

Paul  Jones  at  once  signaled  to  his  ships  to  form 
in  line  of  battle.  Captain  Landais  disobeyed. 

The  sight  of  the  American  squadron  seem'ed  to 
cause  confusion  in  the  English  fleet.  They  let  fly 


j.  o  THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 

their  top  gallant  sails  and  fired  many  signals.  The 
Serapis  and  the  Countess  drew  up  in  line  of  battle 
and  waited  for  the  enemy,  while  the  merchant  ships 
ran  into  port. 

It  was  a  clear,  calm  afternoon.  The  sea  was 
like  a  polished  mirror,  with  scarcely  a  ripple  on  its 
surface. 

The  vessels  approached  each  other  so  slowly 
that  they  scarcely  seemed  to  move.  The  decks 
had  all  been  cleared  for  action,  and  the  captains 
were  full  of  impatience. 

Word  had  gone  from  town  to  town  along  the 
shore,  that  a  great  battle  was  soon  to  be  fought. 
The  people  along  the  shore  gathered  on  the  high 
cliffs,  eagerly  hoping  to  see  the  dreaded  Paul 
Jones  crushed  forever. 

The  sun  had  gone  down  behind  the  hills  before 
the  ships  were  within  speaking  distance  of  each 
other.  The  harvest  moon  came  up,  full  and  clear, 
and  shed  a  soft  light  over  the  dreadful  battle 
that  followed. 

Captain    Landais,    when    he    disobeyed    Paul 
Jones'  order  to  join  in  line  of  battle,  spread  the 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


sails  of  the  Alliance,  and  went  quickly  toward 
the  enemy  as  though  to  make  an  attack.  But 
when  very  near  to  where  the  Serapis  lay,  he 
changed  his  course,  and  sailed  away  to  a  place 
where  the  battle  could  be  seen  without  harm. 

About  half-past  seven  in  the  evening,  the 
Richard  rounded  to  on  the  side  of  the  Serapis 
within  pistol-shot. 

Captain  Pearson  of  the  Serapis  hailed,  saying: 
4 'What  ship  is  that?"  The  answer  came:  "I 
can't  hear  what  you  say. " 

Captain  Pearson  repeated:  ''What  ship  is  that? 
Answer  at  once  or  I  shall  fire. " 

Paul  Jones'  reply  was  a  shot.  This  was  fol 
lowed  by  a  broadside  from  each  vessel. 

At  this  first  fire,  two  of  the  guns  in  the  lower 
battery  of  the  Richard  burst.  The  explosion  tore 
up  the  decks,  and  killed  many  men. 

The  two  vessels  now  began  pouring  broadsides 
into  each  other.  The  Richard  was  old  and  rot 
ten,  and  these  shots  caused  her  to  leak  badly. 
Captain  Pearson  saw  this,  and  hailed,  saying, 
"Has  your  ship  struck?" 


c  2  THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


The  bold  reply  came :  "I  have  not  yet  begun  to 
fight." 

Paul  Jones  saw,  that,  as  the  Serapis  was  so 
much  the  better  ship  of  the  two,  his  only  hope  lay 
in  getting  the  vessels  so  close  together  that  the 
men  could  board  the  Serapis  from  the  Richard. 

All  this  time  the  vessels  had  been  sailing  in  the 
same  direction,  crossing  and  re-crossing  each 
other's  course. 

Finally  Paul  Jones  ran  the  Richard  across  the 
bow  of  the  Serapis.  The  anchor  of  the  Serapis 
caught  in  the  stern  of  the  Richard  and  became 
firmly  fastened  there.  As  the  vessels  were  swung 
around  by  the  tide,  the  sides  came  together.  The 
spars  and  rigging  were  entangled  and  remained 
so  until  the  close  of  the  engagement. 

With  the  muzzles  of  the  guns  almost  touching, 
the  firing  began.  The  effect  was  terrible. 

Paul  Jones,  who  had  only  two  guns  that  could 
be  used  on  the  starboard  side,  grappled  with  the 
Serapis.  With  the  help  of  a  few  men,  he  brought 
over  a  larboard  gun,  and  these  three  were  all  that 
he  used  during  the  rest  of  the  battle. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES.  -  - 


Meanwhile  the  other  ships  of  the  American 
squadron  did  strange  things.  The  Pallas,  alone, 
did  her  duty.  In  a  half  hour  she  had  captured  the 
Countess  of  Scarborough,  The  Vengeance  simply 
sailed  for  the  nearest  harbor. 

Worst  of  all  was  the  conduct  of  Captain  Lan- 
dais  and  his  ship  Alliance.  For  a  while  he  looked 
quietly  on  as  though  he  were  umpire.  At  9:30 
o'clock  he  came  along  the  larboard  side  of  the 
Richard  so  that  she  was  between  him  and  the 
enemy.  Then  he  deliberately  fired  into  her, 
killing  many  men. 

Many  voices  cried  out  that  he  was  firing  into  the 
wrong  ship.  He  seemed  not  to  hear,  for,  until 
the  battle  was  over,  his  firing  continued.  The 
Poor  Richard  had  an  enemy  on  each  side. 

Paul  Jones  sent  some  men  up  the  masts  and 
into  the  rigging  to  throw  hand-grenades,  or  bombs, 
among  the  enemy.  One  of  these  set  fire  to  some 
cartridges  on  the  deck  of  the  Serapis.  This 
caused  a  terrible  explosion,  disabling  all  the  men 
at  the  guns  in  that  part  of  the  ship.  Twenty  of 
them  were  killed  outright. 


r  .  THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


By  this  time  so  much  water  had  leaked  into  the 
Richard  that  she  was  settling.  A  sailor,  seeing 
this,  set  up  the  cry:  "Quarter!  quarter!  Our 
ship  is  sinking!" 

Captain  Pearson,  hearing  the  cry,  sent  his  men  to 
board  the  Richard.  Paul  Jones,  with  a  pike  in  his 
hand,  headed  a  party  of  his  men  similarly  armed, 
and  drove  the  English  back. 

Some  of  the  Richard's  men  ran  below  and  set 
the  prisoners  free.  There  were  more  than  a 
hundred  of  them. 

One  of  these  prisoners  climbed  through  the  port 
holes  into  the  Serapis.  He  told  Captain  Pearson 
that  if  he  would  hold  out  a  little  longer,  the 
Richard  would  either  sink  or  strike. 

Poor  Paul  Jones  was  now  in  a  hard  place.  His 
ship  was  sinking.  More  than  a  hundred  prisoners 
were  running  about  the  decks,  and  they,  with  the 
crew,  were  shouting  for  quarter.  His  own  ship, 
the  Alliance,  was  hurling  shots  at  him  from  the 
other  side.  Everywhere  was  confusion. 

But  he,  alone,  was  undismayed.  He  shouted 
to  the  prisoners  to  go  below  to  the  pumps  or  they 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


55 


would  be  quickly  drowned.  He  ordered  the  crew 
to  their  places.  He  himself  never  left  the  three 
guns  that  could  still  be  fired. 

At  half-past  ten  o'clock,  the  Serapis  surrendered. 

When  Captain  Pearson  gave  his  sword  to  Paul 


THE    SERAPIS   AND    THE    BON    HOMME    RICHARD. 

Jones,  he  said  it  was  very  hard  to  surrender  to  a 
man  who  had  fought  * '  with  a  halter  around  his 
neck."  Paul  Jones  replied,  "Sir!  You  have 
fought  like  ahero.  I  hope  your  king  will  reward  you. " 
This  battle  had  lasted  for  three  hours  and  a  half. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


It  has  since  been  known  in  history  as  one  of  the 
greatest  victories  ever  won  upon  the  seas.  The 
Serapis  and  the  Countess  were  both  new  ships, 
one  of  forty  guns  and  the  other  of  twenty.  The 
crews  were  well-drilled  Englishmen. 

Everything  was  against  the  Richard,  and  the 
victory  was  due  alone  to  the  great  courage  and 
will  of  its  commander.  When  the  fight  was  over, 
Paul  Jones  separated  the  ships  and  set  the  sails  of 
the  Richard.  All  night  every  sailor  was  busy 
fighting  the  fire  which  raged  on  both  ships. 

When  daylight  showed  to  Captain  Pearson  the 
wreck  of  the  Richard,  he  was  sorry  he  had  sur 
rendered.  Her  rudder  was  gone  and  her  rotten 
timbers  were  split  into  pieces.  Some  of  the  shots 
had  passed  entirely  through  her. 

Paul  Jones  wished  to  take  her  into  port  to  show 
how  desperately  he  had  fought,  but  this  was  out  of 
the  question.  By  nine  o'clock  the  sailors  aban 
doned  her,  and  at  ten  she  suddenly  went  down. 

Repairing  the  Serapis  as  best  he  could,  Paul 
Jones  took  her  and  the  Countess  of  Scarborough, 
with  his  unfaithful  fleet,  to  Holland. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES.  ~  y 


XI. — HONOR  TO  THE  HERO. 

After  this  great  victory,  Paul  Jones  was  every 
where  received  as  a  hero.  The  king  of  France 
presented  him  with  a  gold  sword. 

He  also  sent  word,  through  his  minister,  that, 
with  the  consent  of  Congress,  he  would  make  Paul 
Jones  a  Knight  of  the  Order  of  Military  Merit.  To 
avoid  delay,  the  gold  cross  of  the  order  had  been 
sent  to  the  French  minister  in  America,  who  would 
present  it  to  Paul  Jones  when  permission  to  accept 
it  had  been  received  from  Congress. 

The  hero  traveled  about  in  Holland  and 
France,  from  city  to  city,  enjoying  his  great 
triumph.  Crowds  of  people  were  everywhere 
eager  to  see  him,  and  a  word  with  him  was 
thought  to  be  a  great  honor. 

The  most  serious  fault  in  the  character  of  Paul 
Jones  was  his  vanity.  He  had  always  been  very 
fond  of  praise  and  glory,  and  now  his  longings 
were  partly  satisfied  by  all  this  homage. 

Dr.  Franklin  wrote  him  a  letter,  praising  him 
for  his  bravery.  He  thanked  him,  most  of  all, 
for  the  prisoners  he  had  captured.  There  were 


THE  STORY  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


so  many  of  them  that,  by  exchange,  every  Ameri 
can,  held  by  the  English,  could  be  set  at  liberty. 

While  Paul  Jones  was  enjoying  this  praise, 
Captain  Landais  was  going  about  also,  claiming 
for  himself  the  glory  for  the  capture  of  the  Serapis, 
and  trying  to  make  people  believe  that  he  was 
the  real  hero. 

When  Dr.  Franklin  heard  from  the  sailors 
how  he  had  fired  upon  the  Richard,  he  ordered 
him  to  Paris  to  be  tried. 

During  the  next  year,  Paul  Jones  made  a  few 
short  cruises,  but  accomplished  nothing  more  than 
the  taking  of  a  few  prizes. 

At  this  time  the  army  of  George  Washington 
was  sorely  in  need  of  clothing  and  military  sup 
plies.  Word  was  sent  to  Dr.  Franklin  to  buy 
them  in  France  and  send  them  to  America  by 
Paul  Jones. 

Fifteen  thousand  muskets,  with  powder,  and 
one  hundred  and  twenty  bales  of  cloth,  were 
bought  and  stored  in  the  Alliance  and  the  Ariel. 
Dr.  Franklin  told  Paul  Jones  to  sail  with  these 
goods  at  once.  This  was  early  in  the  year  1780. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES.  5  g 

The  summer  came  and  passed  away,  and  the 
ships  were  still  anchored  in  the  French  harbor. 
Paul  Jones  gave  excuse  after  excuse  until  the 
patience  of  Dr.  Franklin  was  about  gone. 

Captain  Landais  had  been  one  cause  of  the  delay. 
Instead  of  going  to  Paris  for  trial,  as  Franklin 
had  ordered,  he  had  gone  back  to  the  Alliance 
to  stir  up  mutiny  against  Paul  Jones.  He  caused 
one  trouble  after  another  and  disobeyed  every 
order.  Finally,  by  intrigue,  he  took  command 
of  the  Alliance  and  sailed  to  America. 

But  Captain  Landais  never  again  troubled  Paul 
Jones.  His  reception  in  America  was  not  what 
he  had  expected.  Instead  of  being  regarded  as 
a  hero,  he  was  judged  insane,  and  dismissed  from 
the  navy.  A  small  share  of  prize  money  was 
afterward  paid  to  him.  On  this  he  lived  until 
eighty-seven  years  of  age,  when  he  died  in  Brook 
lyn,  New  York. 

Another  reason  Paul  Jones  gave  for  his  delay 
in  France  was  that  he  wished  to  get  the  prize 
money  due  for  the  capture  of  the  Serapis,  and 
pay  the  sailors.  This  gave  him  an  excuse  to 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


linger  about  the  courts  where  he  could  receive 
more  of  the  homage  he  loved  so  well. 

Then,  too,  he  spent  much  time  in  getting  let 
ters  and  certificates  of  his  bravery  from  the  king 
and  the  ministers.  He  wished  to  show  these  to 
Congress  when  he  should  arrive  in  America. 

Finally,  one  day  in  October,  he  set  sail  in  the 
Ariel.  He  had  not  gone  far  when  a  furious  gale 
forced  him  to  return  to  port  for  safety. 

For  three  months  longer  he  waited,  hoping  still 
for  the  prize  money  that  was  due.  One  day  he 
gave  a  grand  fete  on  his  ship.  Flags  floated  from 
every  mast.  Pink  silk  curtains  hung  from  awn 
ings  to  the  decks.  These  were  decorated  with 
mirrors,  pictures,  and  flowers. 

The  company  invited  were  men  and  women  of 
high  rank.  When  all  was  ready,  Paul  Jones  sent 
his  boats  ashore  to  bring  them  on  board. 

He,  himself,  dressed  in  full  uniform,  received 
them  and  conducted  them  to  their  seats  on  the 
deck.  At  three  o'clock  they  sat  down  to  an 
elaborate  dinner  which  lasted  until  sunset. 

At    eight   o'clock,   as   the    moon    rose,    a  mock 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


battle  of  the  Richard  and  the  Serapis  was  given. 
There  was  much  noise  from  the  firing  of  guns, 
and  a  great  blaze  of  light  from  the  rockets  that 
were  sent  up.  The  effect  was  beautiful,  but  the 
din  was  such  that  the  ladies  were  frightened.  At 
the  end  of  an  hour  this  display  was  ende  d. 

After  a  dance   on  the  deck,    the  officers  rowed 
the  company  back  to  the  shore. 


XII. — THE  RETURN  TO  AMERICA. 

On  the  1 8th  of  December,  1780,  nearly  a  year 
after  he  had  received  his  orders,  Jones  sailed  for 
America.  He  arrived  in  Philadelphia  on  Feb 
ruary  1 8th,  1781.  When  Congress  inquired  into 
the  cause  of  his  long  delay,  he  gave  explanations 
which  seemed  to  be  satisfactory.  Resolutions  of 
thanks  were  passed,  and  permission  given  to  the 
French  minister  to  present  the  Cross  of  Military 
Merit,  which  had  been  sent  by  the  French  king. 

This  cross  was  presented  with  great  ceremony, 
and  it  was  ever  after  a  source  of  much  pride  to 


6  2  THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 

Paul  Jones.  He  wore  it  upon  all  occasions  and 
loved  to  be  called  Chevalier. 

During  the  following  year  Paul  Jones  superin 
tended  the  construction  of  a  new  war  ship,  the 
America,  which  was  being  built  by  Congress. 

This  was  the  largest  seventy-four  gun  ship  in 
the  world,  and  he  was  to  be  her  captain. 

Once  more  Paul  Jones  was  disappointed.  Be 
fore  the  America  was  finished,  Congress  decided 
to  give  her  to  France.  She  was  to  replace  a 
French  vessel,  which  had  been  lost  while  in  the 
American  service. 

Paul  Jones  was  again  without  a  ship.  As  he 
could  not  bear  to  be  idle,  he  spent  the  time  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  with  a  French  fleet,  cruis 
ing  among  the  West  Indies. 

As  soon  as  he  heard  that  peace  was  declared 
between  England  and  America,  he  left  the  French 
fleet  and  returned  to  America.  He  arrived  in 
Philadelphia  in  May,  1783. 

Now  that  the  war  was  over,  and  there  was  no 
more  fighting  to  be  .  done,  Paul  Jones  thought 
that  the  best  thing  for  him  to  do  was  to  get  the 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


prize  money  still  due  from  the  French  govern 
ment  for  the  vessels  he  had  captured. 

For  this  purpose,  he  soon  returned  to  France. 
After  many  delays  the  money,  amounting  to  nearly 
$30,000,  was  paid  to  him.  It  was  to  be  divided 
among  the  officers  and  crews  of  the  ships  which 
he  had  commanded. 

Paul  Jones  came  again  to  America  in  1787  to 
attend  to  the  final  division  of  this  money. 


While  in  this  country,  Congress  ordered  a  gold 
medal  to  be  presented  to  him  for  his  services  dur 
ing  the  war. 


XIII. — AMBITIOUS  HOPES. 

You  remember  that,  during  the  war,  Captain 
Landais  had  sent  two  valuable  ships  to  Norway, 
and  so  caused  the  loss  of  much  prize  money. 


64 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


Denmark  had  taken  these  ships,  by  force,  and 
given  them  back  to  England. 

Paul  Jones  determined  to  go  to  Denmark  to  try 
to  induce  that  country  to  pay  for  these  ships.  In 
November,  1787,  he  left  America  for  the  last 
time. 

On  the  way  to  Denmark,  he  stopped  in  Paris. 
Here  he  heard  some  news  which  pleased  him  very 
much. 

For  some  time  Russia  had  been  at  war  with 
Turkey,  and  the  Russian  navy  had  lately  met 
with  several  disasters  on  the  Black  Sea. 

The  Russian  minister  in  Paris  had  heard  a  great 
deal  about  the  hero,  Paul  Jones.  So  he  sent 
word  to  the  Empress  Catherine,  who  was  then 
the  ruler  of  Russia,  that  if  she  would  give  Paul 
Jones  the  command  of  the  Russian  fleet,  "all 
Constantinople  would  tremble  in  less  than  a  year. " 

When  Paul  Jones  heard  that  this  message  had 
gone  to  Russia,  he  was  sure  that  a  chance  would 
come  to  win  still  more  glory  and  fameu 

He  was  more  anxious  than  before  to  go  to 
Copenhagen,  the  capital  of  Denmark.  He  would 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


then  be  nearer  to  Russia  and  could  more  quickly 
answer  the  summons  of  the  empress. 

He  was  not  disappointed  in  this.  He  was  in 
Copenhagen  but  a  few  weeks,  when  he  received 
the  offer  of  a  position  in  the  Russian  navy,  with 
the  rank  of  rear-admiral. 

He  gave  up  the  hope  of  the  prize  money,  and 
started  in  April,  1788,  for  St.  Petersburg. 

The  story  of  his  trip  to  Russia  shows  what  a 
fearless  man  he  was.  No  danger  was  too  great 
for  him  to  brave,  in  order  to  accomplish  any  pur 
pose  he  had  in  mind. 

In  order  to  reach  St.  Petersburg  with  the  least 
delay,  he  went  to  Stockholm,  Sweden.  Here  he 
took  an  open  boat  and  crossed  the  Baltic  Sea, 
which  was  full  of  floating  ice. 

He  did  not  let  the  boatmen  know  of  his  inten 
tions  until  they  were  well  out  at  sea.  Then, 
pistol  in  hand,  he  compelled  the  unwilling  men  to 
steer  for  the  Russian  shore. 

For  four  days  and  nights  they  were  out  in  the 
open  boats,  carefully  steering  through  the  ice,  and 
many  times  barely  escaping  death. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 


When,  at  last,  they  arrived  safely  at  a  Russian 
port  on  the  Gulf  of  Finland,  he  rewarded  the 
boatmen  and  gave  them  a  new  boat  and  provisions 
for  their  return.  Scarcely  would  any  one  believe 
the  story,  as  such  a  trip  had  never  been  made 
before,  and  was  thought  to  be  impossible. 

He  hurried  on  to  St.  Petersburg,  where  he  was 
warmly  welcomed.  The  story  of  his  trip  across 
the  Baltic,  added  to  other  tales  of  his  bravery, 
caused  the  empress  to  show  him  many  favors. 


XIV. — SAD  DISAPPOINTMENTS. 

After  a  few  days  in  St.  Petersburg,  Paul  Jones 
hurried  on  to  the  Black  Sea  to  take  command  of 
his  fleet.  But  he  again  met  with  disappointments. 
He  was  not  given  the  command  of  the  whole  fleet, 
as  he  had  expected.  Instead,  he  was  given  only 
half,  Prince  Nassau  commanding  the  remainder. 
Both  of  these  men  were  under  a  still  higher 
authority,  Prince  Potemkin. 

Potemkin   was  as    fond    of    glory   as  was    Paul 


THE  S  TOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES.  5  7 

Jones.  He  and  Nassau  were  both  jealous  of  the 
foreigner,  and  Potemkin  finally  succeeded  in 
having  Paul  Jones  recalled  to  St.  Petersburg. 

He  arrived  there,  full  of  sorrow,  because  he  had 
achieved  no  fame.  More  trouble  was  in  store  for 
him.  Some  jealous  conspirators  so  blackened 
his  character  that  the  empress  would  not  allow 
him  to  appear  at  court. 

Even  after  proving  his  innocence  to  the  satisfac 
tion  of  the  empress,  he  could  not  regain  his 
former  position. 

About  this  time  his  health  began  to  fail.  Sick, 
both  in  body  and  mind,  he  went  back  to  Paris  in 
1790,  having  been  in  Russia  about  eighteen 
months. 

It  was  nearly  a  year  afterward,  before  he  gave 
up  all  hope  of  regaining  a  position  in  the  Russian 
service.  When  the  empress  refused  him  this,  he 
quietly  waited  for  death. 

This  occurred  on  the  i8th  of  July,  I792>  m  his 
lodgings  in  Paris.  His  pride  and  love  of  titles  had 
left  him.  He  told  his  friends  that  he  wished  no 
longer  to  be  called  Admiral  or  Chevalier. 


6  g  THE  STOR  Y  OF  PA  UL  JONES. 

He  wished  to  be  simply  a  ' '  citizen  of  the 
United  States." 

The  National  Assembly  of  France  decreed  him 
a  public  funeral,  and  many  of  the  greatest  men  of 
the  time  followed  his  body  to  the  tomb.  The 
place  of  his  burial  has  been  forgotten. 

The  most  enduring  monument  to  his  memory  is 
to  be  found  in  the  grateful  recollections  of  his 
countrymen.  The  name  of  Paul  Jones,  the  first 
naval  hero  of  America,  will  not  be  forgotten  so 
long  as  the  stars  and  stripes  float  over  the  sea. 


THE  STORY  OF 

OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY 


I. — How  THE  PERRY  FAMILY  CAME  TO  RHODE 
ISLAND. 

A  very  long  time  ago,  there  lived  in  England  a 
young  Quaker  whose  name  was  Edmund  Perry. 

At  that  time  the  Quakers  were  much  persecuted. 
They  were  a  quiet  and  peace-loving  people,  and 
would  not  serve  in  the  army.  They  had  their  own 
religious  meetings,  and  refused  to  pay  money  for 
the  support  of  the  Church  of  England.  For  these 
reasons,  they  were  imprisoned,  beaten,  and  driven 
from  their  homes. 

Edmund  Perry  believed  that  the  Quakers  were 
right,  and  he  could  not  endure  these  persecutions. 
So,  in  1650,  he  came  to  America  to  live. 

Thirty  years  before  that  time,  a  company  of 
Pilgrims  had  left  England  because  they  also 

wished  to  be  free  to  worship  God  as  they  chose. 

71 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


They  had  founded  a  colony  at  Plymouth,  which  is 
now  in  the  state  of  Massachusetts. 

Edmund  Perry  thought  that  in  this  settlement 
of  Pilgrims  he  could  surely  live  peaceably  in  the 
enjoyment  of  his  own  belief.  He  did  not  stay 
long  in  Plymouth,  however.  His  Quaker  religion 
was  hated  there,  as  it  had  been  in  England  ;  and 
the  Pilgrims  did  not  wish  to  have  any  one  in  their 
colony  who  did  not  agree  with  them. 

Not  far  from  Plymouth  was  the  colony  of 
Rhode  Island,  which  had  been  founded  by  Roger 
Williams.  Roger  Williams  declared  that  a  man 
is  responsible  for  his  opinions  only  to  God  and 
his  own  conscience,  and  that  no  one  has  any  right 
to  punish  him  for  his  belief. 

The  people  in  the  Rhode  Island  colony  did  not 
quarrel  with  one  another  about  religion,  but  lived 
together  in  peace. 

Edmund  Perry  thought  that  this  was  the  place 
where  he  could  make  a  home  for  himself  and  his 
family.  He  therefore  purchased  a  large  tract  of 
land  on  the  shores  of  Narragansett  Bay,  near  what 
is  now  the  site  of  South  Kingston. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  OLIVER  HA ZA  RD  PERR  Y. 


Here  he  lived  for  the  rest  of  his  life,  at  peace 
with  all  about  him,  even  his  Indian  neighbors. 
His  descendants  also  lived  in  this  neighborhood. 
Among  them  were  judges,  lawyers,  and  doctors,  as 
well  as  farmers  and  mechanics  ;  and  they  were 
always  highly  respected  in  the  colony. 

Christopher  Raymond  Perry,  a  great-great- 
grandson  of  Edmund  Perry,  was  born  in  Decem 
ber,  1761. 

At  that  time  there  were  thirteen  colonies  or 
great  settlements  of  English  people  at  different 
places  along  the  Atlantic  coast  of  what  is  now  the 
United  States.  But  troubles  had  already  begun 
to  brew  between  the  people  of  these  colonies  and 
the  king  of  England.  These  troubles  finally  led 
to  the  Revolutionary  War. 

Christopher  Perry,  although  a  mere  boy,  was 
one  of  the  first  persons  in  Rhode  Island  to  offer 
himself  for  this  war.  He  joined  a  company  of  vol 
unteers  known  as  the  ' '  Kingston  Reds  "  ;  but  soon 
afterwards  left  the  army  and  entered  the  navy. 
Here  he  served,  having  many  adventures,  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  in  1783. 


j  .  THE  STOR  Y  OF  OLIVER  HA ZA RD  PERR  F. 

He  had  become  very  fond  of  a  sailor's  life,  and 
when  there  was  no  more  use  for  him  in  the  navy 
he  obtained  a  place  on  a  merchant  vessel,  and 
went  on  a  cruise  to  Ireland. 

During  the  homeward  voyage  he  became  ac 
quainted  with  one  of  the  passengers,  a  beautiful 
girl  of  Scotch  descent,  whose  name  was  Sara 
Alexander.  Soon  after  their  arrival  in  America, 
their  friendship  ripened  into  love,  and  in  1784 
they  were  married  in  Philadelphia. 

Christopher  Perry,  though  but  twenty-three 
years  of  age,  was  then  the  captain  of  a  vessel. 
The  young  couple  went  to  live  with  Christopher's 
father,  on  the  old  Perry  estate  in  South  Kingston. 

This  was  then  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres. 
The  old  homestead  stood  at  the  foot  of  a  hill  not 
far  from  the  Narragansett  shore. 

Through  the  trees  in  a  neighboring  wood,  shone 
the  white  stones  which  marked  the  graves  of  the 
Quaker,  Edmund  Perry,  and  many  of  his  children 
and  grandchildren. 

The  Perry  family  were  glad  to  welcome  Christo 
pher's  young  wife  into  their  home.  She  was  as 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


75 


intelligent  as  she  was  beautiful ;  and  her  sweet 
and  happy  disposition  made  every  one  love  her. 

Christopher  Perry  gave  up  his  life  on  the  sea  for 
a  time,  and  many  happy  months  were  spent  in  the 
old  home. 

On  the  23d  of  August,  1785,  their  first  baby 
boy  was  born.  He  was  named  for  an  uncle  and 
a  great-great-grandfather,  Oliver  Hazard  Perry. 


II. — SCHOOL   DAYS. 

Oliver  was  a  winsome  baby  and  he  grew  strong 
and  beautiful  very  fast.  Every  one  loved  him,  for 
he  thought  all  strangers  were  friends,  and  was 
never  afraid  of  them. 

Indeed  he  was  not  afraid  of  anything,  for  to 
him  there  was  no  danger.  We  shall  see  that  he 
kept  this  same  fearlessness  all  through  his  life. 

When  he  was  three  years  old,  he  was  playing 
one  day  with  an  older  child,  in  the  road  near  his 
grandfather's  house.  A  man  was  seen  coming 
rapidly  towards  them  on  horseback.  The  elder 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


child  ran  out  of  the  way,  calling  to  Oliver  to  do  the 
same. 

The  little  fellow  sat  quite  still,   however,   until 
the  horse  was  nearly  upon  him.     As  the  horseman 


CHILDHOOD   HOME   OF   OLIVER   PERRY. 

drew  rein,  Oliver  looked  up  into  his  face  and  said, 
"  Man,  you  will  not  ride  over  me,  will  you?" 

The  gentleman,  who  was  a  friend  of  the  family's, 
carried  him  into  the  house,  and  told  the  story. 

When  scarcely  more  than  a  baby,    Oliver  sat 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  OLIVER  HA  ZA  RD  PERR  Y.  *~ 


upon  his  mother's  knee,  while  she  taught  him 
letters  and  words.  It  was  not  long  before  he  could 
read  quite  well.  By  the  time  he  was  five  years 
old,  there  were  two  other  babies  to  keep  the 
beautiful,  loving  mother  busy.  So  it  was  thought 
best  to  send  Oliver  to  school. 

Not  far  from  the  Perrys',  there  lived  an  old 
gentleman  whom  the  people  loved  because  of  his 
goodness  of  heart.  As  there  was  no  school  near 
by,  he  had  often  been  asked  to  teach  the  neigh 
borhood  children. 

The  good  old  man  was  notoriously  lazy,  and 
consented  upon  one  condition — that  he  should  be 
allowed  to  have  a  bed  in  the  schoolroom. 

Teachers  were  few  in  those  days,  and,  since 
there  was  no  one  else,  the  bed  was  set  up.  How 
amusing  it  must  have  been  to  see  the  children 
standing  about  the  master's  bed  and  reciting  their 
lessons ! 

It  was  to  this  strange  school  that  little  Oliver 
was  first  sent.  Some  girl  cousins  lived  on  the 
adjoining  farm.  Though  they  were  all  older  than 
he,  it  was  Oliver's  duty,  each  day,  to  take  them  to 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


and  from  school.  No  one,  not  even  the  other 
scholars,  thought  this  at  all  strange.  His  dignified 
manners  always  made  him  seem  older  than  he 
really  was. 

One  day  his  mother  told  him  that  he  was  old 
enough  to  go  to  school  at  Tower  Hill,  a  place  four 
miles  away.  Boys  and  girls  would  now  think  that 
a  long  way  to  go  to  school  ;  but  Oliver  and  his 
cousins  did  not  mind  the  walk  through  the  woods 
and  over  the  hills. 

The  master  of  this  school  was  so  old  that  he  had 
once  taught  Oliver's  grandfather.  He  was  not  lazy, 
however,  and  was  never  known  to  lose  his  temper. 

It  was  not  long  until  a  change  was  made  and 
Oliver  was  taken  away  from  ' '  old  master  Kelly. " 

For  several  years  past,  Oliver's  father  had  been 
again  on  the  sea.  He  had  commanded  vessels  on 
successful  voyages  to  Europe  and  South  America, 
and  now  he  had  a  large  income.  He  was  there 
fore  able  to  pay  for  better  teaching  for  Oliver  and 
the  younger  children. 

So  the  family  moved  from  South  Kingston  to 
Newport,  a  larger  town,  with  better  schools. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  OLIVER  HA ZA RD  PERR  Y. 


At  first  Oliver  did  not  like  the  change.  The 
discipline  was  much  more  strict  than  it  had  been 
in  the  little  country  schools. 

His  teacher,  Mr.  Frazer,  had  one  serious  fault. 
He  had  a  violent  temper  which  was  not  always 
controlled. 

One  day  he  became  angry  at  Oliver  and  broke  a 
ruler  over  his  head.  Without  a  word,  Oliver  took 
his  hat  and  went  home.  He  told  his  mother  that 
he  would  never  go  back. 

The  wise  mother  said  nothing  until  the  next 
morning.  Then,  giving  him  a  note  for  Mr. 
Frazer,  she  told  him  to  go  to  school  as  usual. 
The  proud  boy's  lip  quivered  and  tears  were  in 
his  eyes,  but  he  never  thought  of  disobeying  his 
mother. 

The  note  he  carried  was  a  kind  one,  telling  Mr. 
Frazer  that  she  intrusted  Oliver  to  his  care  again 
and  hoped  that  she  would  not  have  cause  to  regret 
it. 

After  this  Oliver  had  no  better  friend  than  Mr. 
Frazer.  On  holidays  they  walked  together  to  the 
seashore  and  spent  many  hours  wandering  along 


80 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


the  beach.  The  schoolmaster  took  great  delight  in 
teaching  Oliver  the  rules  of  navigation,  and  the  use 
of  the  instruments  necessary  for  sailing  a  vessel. 

Oliver  learned  these  things  so  readily  that  it 
was  not  long  until  Mr.  Frazer  said  he  was  the  best 
navigator  in  Rhode  Island.  This,  of  course,  was 
not  strictly  true,  but  it  showed  what  an  apt  scholar 
the  boy  was. 

Oliver  made  many  friends  in  Newport.  Among 
them  was  the  Frenchman,  Count  Rochambeau. 
The  father  of  this  man  was  a  great  general,  and 
had  once  commanded  some  French  troops  who 
helped  the  Americans  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 

Count  Rochambeau  often  invited  Oliver  to  dine 
with  him,  and  one  day  he»gave  him  a  beautiful 
little  watch. 

When  Oliver  was  twelve  years  old,  his  father 
gave  up  his  life  on  the  sea.  The  family  then 
moved  to  Westerly,  a  little  village  in  the  south 
western  part  of  Rhode  Island. 

For  five  years  Oliver  had  been  a  faithful  pupil 
of  Mr.  Frazer's,  and  he  was  now  far  advanced 
for  his  years. 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


8l 


III. — PLANS  FOR  THE  FUTURE. 

About  this  time  some  unexpected  troubles  arose 
in  our  country. 

France  and  England  had  been  at  war  for  years. 
The  French  were  anxious  that  America  should 
join  in  the  quarrel;  and  when  they  could  not  bring 
this  about  by  persuasion,  they  tried  to  use  force. 

French  cruisers  were  sent  to  the  American  shores 
to  capture  merchant  vessels  while  on  their  way  to 
foreign  ports. 

You  may  be  sure  that  this  roused  the  people 
from  one  end  of  the  United  States  to  the  other. 
Preparations  for  war  with  France  were  begun  ;  and 
the  first  great  need  was  a  better  navy. 

At  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  all  work 
on  government  vessels  had  been  stopped.  Those 
that  were  unfinished  were  sold  to  shipping  mer 
chants.  Even  the  ships  of  war  that  had  done 
such  good  service,  were  sold  to  foreign  countries. 
In  this  way,  the  entire  American  navy  passed  out 
of  existence. 


82 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


But  now  the  President,  John  Adams,  went  to 
work  to  establish  a  navy  that  should  give  protec 
tion  to  American  commerce. 

In  the  spring  of  1798,  a  naval  department  was 
organized,  with  Benjamin  Stoddart  as  the  first 
Secretary  of  the  Navy.  The  following  summer 
was  busy  with  active  preparations.  Six  new 
frigates  were  built,  and  to  these  were  added  a 
number  of  other  vessels  of  various  kinds. 

Captain  Christopher  Perry  was  given  command 
of  one  of  the  new  frigates  that  were  being  built  at 
Warren,  a  small  town  near  Bristol,  Rhode  Island. 
This  vessel  was  to  be  called  the  General  Greene. 

In  order  to  superintend  the  building  of  this 
vessel,  Captain  Perry,  with  his  wife,  left  his 
quiet  home  in  Westerly,  and  went  to  stay  in 
Warren. 

Oliver,  then  not  quite  thirteen  years  old,  re 
mained  at  home  to  take  charge  of  the  family. 

He  saw  that  his  sister  and  brothers  went  to 
school  regularly.  He  bought  all  the  family  pro 
visions.  Each  day  he  wrote  to  his  father  and 
mother,  telling  them  about  home  affairs.  In  the 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


meantime,  he  was  busily  planning  what  his  work 
in  life  should  be. 

His  mother  had  taught  him  that  a  man  must  be 
brave,  and  always  ready  to  serve  his  country. 
She  had  told  him  many  stories  of  battles  .fought 
long  ago  in  her  native  land  across  the  sea. 

Oliver  had  lived  most  of  his  life  in  sight  of  the 
sea,  and  had  spent  many  hours  with  seamen.  It  is 
not  strange,  therefore,  that  he  should  decide,  — "  I 
wish  to  be  a  captain  like  my  father. " 

He  had  heard  of  the  troubles  with  France, 
and  he  longed  to  help  defend  his  country.  And  so 
at  last  he  wrote  to  his  father,  asking  permission 
to  enter  the  navy.  It  was  a  manly  letter,  telling 
all  his  reasons  for  his  choice. 

The  consent  was  readily  given,  and  Oliver  soon 
afterward  received  an  appointment  as  midshipman 
on  his  father's  vessel,  the  General  Greene. 


IV. — THE  CRUISE  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES. 

In  the  meantime,  the  people  grew  more  eager 
for  war.     An  army  had  been  raised  to  drive  back 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY, 


the  French,  should  they  attempt  to  invade  the 
land.  George  Washington,  though  nearly  sixty- 
seven  years  of  age,  had  been  appointed  com 
mander  in  chief  of  the  American  forces. 

In  February,  1799,  one 
of  the  new  frigates,  the  Con 
stellation,  under  Captain 
Truxton,  defeated  and  cap 
tured  a  French  frigate  of 
equal  size.  By  spring  the 
General  Greene  was  com 
pleted,  and  Captain  Perry 
was  ordered  to  sail  for  the 
West  Indies. 

America  had  large  trad 
ing  interests  with  those  islands.  Many  of  our 
merchant  vessels  brought  from  there  large  cargoes 
of  fruits,  coffee,  and  spices.  The  General  Greene 
was  ordered  to  protect  these  cargoes  from  the 
French  cruisers,  and  bring  them  safely  into  port. 
For  several  months  Captain  Perry's  vessel  con 
voyed  ships  between  Cuba  and  the  United  States. 
In  July,  some  of  the  sailors  on  board  were  sick 


:o 


CAPT.   THOMAS    TRUXTON. 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


with  yellow  fever.  So  Captain  Perry  brought  the 
vessel  back  to  Newport. 

Oliver  went  at  once  to  see  his  mother.  The 
tall  lad  in  his  bright  uniform  was  a  hero  to  all 
the  children  in  the  neighborhood. 

His  brothers  and  sister  considered  it  an  honor  to 
wait  upon  him.  They  would  go  out  in  the  early 
morning  and  pick  berries  for  his  breakfast,  so  that 
he  might  have  them  with  the  dew  upon  them. 

While  on  shipboard  he  had  learned  to  play  a 
little  on  the  flute.  The  children  loved  to  sit  about 
him,  and  listen  to  his  music. 

By  the  autumn  of  1799,  the  crew  of  the  General 
Greene  were  well  again,  and  Captain  Perry  sailed 
back  to  Havana. 

It  was  during  the  following  winter  months  of 
cruising  with  his  father,  that  Oliver  was  taught  his 
lessons  of  naval  honor.  He  also  applied  the 
lessons  in  navigation  which  he  had  learned  from 
Mr.  Frazer. 

He  read  and  studied  very  carefully,  and  could 
not  have  had  a  better  teacher  than  his  father. 

While  the   General  Greene  was  cruising  among 


86 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


the  West  Indies,  Captain  Truxton  had  won 
another  victory  with  his  Constellation.  This  time 
he  captured  a  French  frigate  which  carried  sixteen 
guns  more  than  the  Constellation. 

The  French,  dismayed  at  these  victories  of  the 
Americans,  began  to  be  more  civil.  They  even 
seemed  anxious  for  peace. 


THE    CONSTELLATION. 


War  had  been  carried  on  for  about  a  year, 
though  it  had  never  been  formally  declared. 

In  May,  1800,  the  General  Greene  came  back  to 
Newport,  and  remained  in  harbor  until  the  terms 
of  peace  were  concluded. 

The  trouble  with  France  being   settled,   it  was 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


decided  by  the  government  to  dispose  of  nearly 
all  the  naval  vessels.  As  a  result,  many  of  the 
captains  and  midshipmen  were  dismissed,  Captain 
Perry  being  one  of  the  number. 

Fortunately  for   the  country,  young   Oliver  was 
retained  as  midshipman. 


V. — THE  WAR  WITH  THE  BARBARY   STATES. 

On  the  northern  coast  of  Africa,  bordering  on 
the  Mediterranean  Sea,  are  four  countries  known 
as  the  Barbary  States.  These  are  Tunis,  Algiers, 
Tripoli,  and  Morocco. 

For  more  than  four  hundred  years,  these  coun 
tries  had  been  making  a  business  of  sea-robbery. 
Their  pirate  vessels  had  seized  and  plundered  the 
ships  of  other  nations,  and  the  captured  officers 
and  men  were  sold  into  slavery. 

Instead  of  resisting  these  robbers,  most  of  the 
nations  had  found  it  easier  to  pay  vast  sums  of 
money  to  the  Barbary  rulers  to  obtain  protection 
for  their  commerce. 

The  Americans  had  begun  in  this  way,  and  had 


88 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


made  presents  of  money  and  goods  to  Algiers  and 

Tunis. 

Then  the  ruler  of  Tripoli,   called  the  Bashaw, 

informed  our  government  that  he  would  wait  six 

months  for  a  handsome  present  from  us.      If  it  did 

not  come  then,  he  would  de 
clare  war  against  the  United 
States. 

This  did  not  frighten  the 
Americans  at  all.  Their  only 
reply  was  to  send  a  fleet  of 
four  ships  to  the  Mediter 
ranean.  The  intention  was 
to  force  the  Bashaw  to  make 
a  treaty  which  should  insure 

COMMODORE    CHARLES    MORRIS.       gafety    fa   Qur 


This  squadron  did  not  do  much  but  blockade  the 
ports  of  Tripoli. 

A  year  later,  in  1802,  a  larger  squadron  was 
fitted  out  to  bring  the  Bashaw  to  terms.  Com 
modore  Morris  was  the  commander.  On  one  of 
the  vessels,  the  Adams,  was  Oliver  Perry  as 
midshipman. 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


89 


Soon  after  the  arrival  of  his  ship  in  the 
Mediterranean,  Oliver  celebrated  his  seventeenth 
birthday. 

The  captain  of  the  Adams  was  very  fond  of 
him,  and  succeeded  in  having  him  appointed 
lieutenant  on  that  day. 

For  a  year  and  a  half,  the  squadron  of  Commo 
dore  Morris  cruised  about  the  Mediterranean. 
No  great  battles  were  fought  and  no  great  victories 
were  won. 

The  Adams  stopped  at  the  coast  towns  of 
Spain,  France,  and  Italy.  Through  the  kindness 
of  the  captain,  Oliver  was  often  allowed  to  go  on 
shore  and  visit  the  places  of  interest. 

Commodore  Morris,  being  recalled  to  America, 
sailed  thither  in  the  Adams ;  and  so  it  happened 
that  in  November,  1803,  Oliver  Perry  arrived  again 
in  America. 

His  father  was  then  living  in  Newport,  and  Oliver 
remained  at  home  until  July  of  the  next  year. 

He  spent  much  of  his  time  in  studying  mathe 
matics  and  astronomy.  He  liked  to  go  out 
among  the  young  people,  and  his  pleasing  man- 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


ners  and  good  looks  made  him  a  general  fa 
vorite. 

He  was  fond  of  music  and  could  play  the  flute 
very  skillfully.  When  not  studying,  he  liked  most 
of  all  to  ride  horses,  and  fence  with  a  sword. 

While  Lieutenant  Perry  was  spending  this  time 
at  home,  the  war  in  the  Mediterranean  was  still 
being  carried  on.  Commodore  Preble,  who  had 
succeeded  Commodore  Morris,  had  won  many 
brilliant  victories. 

The  most  daring  feat  of  all  this  war  was  accom 
plished  by  Stephen  Decatur,  a  young  lieutenant 
only  twenty-three  years  old. 

One  of  the  largest  of  the  American  vessels,  the 
Philadelphia,  had,  by  accident,  been  grounded  on 
a  reef.  Taking  advantage  of  her  helpless  condition, 
the  whole  Tripolitan  fleet  opened  fire  upon  her. 

Captain  Bainbridge,  the  commander  of  the 
Philadelphia,  was  obliged  to  surrender.  The 
Tripolitans  managed  to  float  the  vessel  off  the 
reef,  and  towed  her  into  the  harbor. 

Captain  Bainbridge,  although  a  prisoner,  found 
means  to  send  word  of  his  misfortune  to  Commo- 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


dore  Preble,  who  was  then  at  Malta,  and  the  Amer 
ican  fleet  at  once  sailed  for  Tripoli. 

At  the  suggestion  of  Captain  Bainbridge,  the 
Americans  determined  to  burn  the  Philadelphia, 
rather  than  allow  the  Tripolitans  to  keep  her. 

This  was  a  very  dangerous  undertaking,  as  the 
vessel  was  anchored  in  the 
midst  of  the  Tripolitan  fleet. 
It  was  also  within  easy  range 
of  the  guns  of  the  fort,  com 
manding  the  harbor. 

The  task  was  given  to 
Stephen  Decatur.  In  order 
to  deceive  the  enemy,  he 
took  a  small  boat  which  had 
been  captured  from  them  a 
short  time  before.  Its  crew 
was  made  up  of  volunteers, 
for  the  chances  of  escape  were  very  few. 

Under  cover  of  night,  the  little  vessel  sailed 
into  the  harbor,  and,  as  if  by  accident,  ran  into 
the  Philadelphia.  Before  the  Tripolitans  realized 
what  had  happened,  Decatur  and  his  men  were 


STEPHEN    DECATUR. 


92 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


climbing  over  the  sides  of  the  vessel  and  through 
the  port  holes. 

Decatur  had  ordered  his  men  to  use  no  fire 
arms.     He  did  not  wish  to  attract  the  attention  of 


BURNING    OF    THE    PHILADELPHIA. 


the  Tripolitans  who  were  in  the  fort  and  on  the 
other  vessels  in  the  harbor. 

A  desperate  hand  to  hand  fight  ensued.  In  a 
few  minutes  the  Americans  were  in  possession  of 
the  vessel.  Some  of  the  Tripolitan  crew  had 
been  killed ;  others  had  jumped  into  the  sea. 

The  Americans  then   set  the    Philadelphia  on 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  OLIVER  HA ZA RD  PERR  Y. 


fire  and  jumped  into  their  boat  to  escape. 
Lieutenant  Decatur  was  the  last  one  to  leave  the 
burning  ship. 

The  situation  of  the  little  band  was  now  desper 
ate.  The  Philadelphia  was  a  mass  of  flames, 
lighting  up  the  harbor  for  miles  around. 

Decatur's  little  boat  could  be  plainly  seen,  and 
all  the  vessels  and  forts  opened  fire  on  it.  But 
the  Tripolitans  were  too  much  excited  to  do 
serious  damage. 

In  a  short  time  the  fire  reached  the  magazine  of 
the  Philadelphia  and  she  blew  up  with  a  tre 
mendous  crash,  leaving  the  harbor  in  darkness. 
Decatur  and  his  men  escaped  with  but  one  man 
wounded. 

This  is  only  one  of  many  deeds  of  bravery 
done  in  this  war,  but  we  can  not  tell  of  them  in 
this  story.  Lieutenant  Perry,  in  his  home  in 
America,  heard  of  them,  and  longed  to  be  on  the 
scene  of  action. 

He  was  very  glad  when,  in  the  following 
September,  he  was  ordered  to  return  in  the 
Constellation  to  the  Mediterranean. 


94 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


The  American  fleet  in  the  Mediterranean  was 
by  this  time  so  large  that  the  Bashaw  was  con 
vinced  that  the  Americans  were  in  earnest. 

He  was  glad  to  make  a  treaty  of  peace  and 
release  the  prisoners  on  payment  of  a  small 
ransom. 

In  October,  1806,  Oliver  Perry  returned  to 
America.  He  was  greatly  disappointed  that  he 
had  not  been  able  to  take  a  more  active  part  in 
the  war. 

He  spent  most  of  the  next  two  years  in  New 
port,  dividing  his  time  between  study  and  his 
many  friends. 


VI. — MORE  TROUBLE  WITH  ENGLAND. 

While  America  was  having  these  troubles  with 
the  Barbary  States,  France  and  England  were 
still  at  war.  Commerce  all  over  the  world  was 
affected,  and  in  some  cases  almost  destroyed  by 
this  long  war. 

The  French  emperor,  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  had 
forbidden  all  vessels  of  other  nations  to  enter 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERR  Y.  g  - 


British  ports.  The  English,  in  turn,  said  that  no 
vessel  should  enter  a  port  of  France,  or  of  any 
country  belonging  to  France. 

But  the  Americans  had  to  endure  still  further 
injuries  from  the  English.  British  war  vessels 
claimed  the  right  to  stop  American  ships  on  the 
sea,  search  them,  and  carry  off  American  sailors, 
claiming  them  as  deserters  from  the  English  navy. 

The  French  could  not  do  this  ;  for  no  American 
sailor  could  be  accused  of  being  a  runaway 
Frenchman. 

In  1807,  an  event  took  place  which  nearly  led 
to  war. 

The  British  frigate  Leopard,  cruising  along  the 
coast,  hailed  the  American  frigate  Chesapeake,  and 
demanded  permission  to  search  the  ship. 

The  captain  of  the  Chesapeake  refused.  With 
out  a  word  of  warning,  the  Leopard  fired  into  the 
Chesapeake,  killing  and  wounding  more  than 
twenty  men. 

The  American  captain  had  not  dreamed  of  such 
an  outrage.  His  vessel  had  just  put  to  sea  and 
everything  was  in  confusion.  He  did  not  even 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


have  a  gun  in  condition  to  return  the  fire.  So  he 
lowered  his  flag  and  surrendered. 

The  officers  of  the  Leopard  then  came  on  board 
and  carried  off  four  men  from  the  crew. 

The  United  States  would  have  declared  war  at 
once  if  England  had  not  apologized. 

The  President,  at  this  time,  was  Thomas  Jeffer 
son.  He  was  a  man  of  peace.  He  called  a 
session  of  Congress  to  see  if  the  trouble  could  not 
be  settled  without  war. 

As  a  result  of  this  session,  a  law  was  passed 
known  as  the  Embargo  Act.  By  this  law,  no 
vessel  was  allowed  to  sail  from  the  United  States 
to  any  foreign  country. 

In  order  to  enforce  the  law,  Congress  ordered  a 
number  of  gunboats  to  be  built.  These  were  to 
sail  up  and  down  the  coast,  and  prevent  any 
vessel  from  entering  or  leaving  the  ports. 

Lieutenant  Perry  was  ordered  to  superintend 
the  building  of  a  fleet  of  these  gunboats  at  New 
port.  After  they  were  built,  he  was  put  in 
command  of  them,  and  ordered  to  patrol  Long 
Island  Sound.  • 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  OLIVER  HA ZA  RD  PERR  Y.          g  - 

At  this  time,  the  government  wanted  a  map  of 
the  harbors  in  the  neighborhood  of  Newport.  On 
account  of  his  standing  as  a  seaman,  and  of  his 
education,  Lieutenant  Perry  was  selected  to  visit 
the  harbors  and  make  such  a  map. 

He  was  given  a  fast  sailing  schooner  called  the 
Revenge.  While  carrying  on  this  work,  he  was  one 
day  returning  from  Newport  to  New  London, 
when  a  dense  fog  came 'on.  The  Revenge  struck 
upon  a  reef  of  rocks,  and  went  to  pieces. 

By  great  efforts  Lieutenant  Perry  was  able  to 
save,  not  only  all  the  crew,  but  the  sails,  rigging, 
and  cannon. 

He  then  went  to  Washington  to  explain  the  loss 
of  the  Revenge  to  the  navy  department.  It  was 
made  clear  that  it  was  the  fault  of  the  local  pilot 
who  had  charge  of  the  vessel  at  the  time. 

Lieutenant  Perry  was  commended  for  his  gallant 
conduct  in  this  disaster,  and  was  also  granted  a 
year's  leave  of  absence.  He  went  to  Newport,  and 
on  May  5,  1811,  he  was  married  to  Elizabeth 
Champlin  Mason. 

The    young    couple    took    a    wedding    journey 


98 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


through  New  England.  They  spent  one  day  in 
Plymouth,  Massachusetts.  Lieutenant  Perry  was 
much  interested  in  visiting  the  place  where  his 
Quaker  ancestor  had  lived  so  many  years  before. 

During  this  time,  the  people  of  the  United 
States  had  learned  that  the  Embargo  Act  was  a 
very  unwise  law.  The  men  of  Congress  had 
thought  to  injure  France  and  England  by  thus  re 
fusing  to  trade  with  them  altogether.  They  soon 
discovered,  however,  that  the  dam 
age  to  American  commerce  was  far 
greater. 

Trading  vessels  in  the  ports  were 
left  standing  idle  at  the  wharves, 
while  the  sailors  were  forced  to  find 
50Nl       other  employment. 

All  over  the  country,  there  arose  a  bitter  feeling 
against  this  Iaw0  In  the  New  England  states, 
where  there  were  the  largest  shipping  interests, 
there  was  even  talk  of  secession  from  the  Union. 

About  this  time  a  new  President,  James  Madison, 
was  elected.  Soon  afterward  the  Embargo  Act 
was  repealed,  and  in  its  place  was  passed  a  law 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


99 


which  satisfied  the  people  for  a  time.  By  this  law, 
trade  was  allowed  with  every  country  but  England 
and  France. 

American  vessels  now  put  to  sea  on  voyages   to 
foreign  lands.      But  their  old  enemies,  the  English,. 
soon  began  to  annoy  them 
as  before. 

In  May,  1811,  the  British 
sloop  Little  Belt  was  hailed 
by  the  American  frigate 
President,  under  the  com 
mand  of  Commodore  Rod- 
gers.  The  reply  was  a  can 
non  shot.  The  President 
then  poured  broadsides  into 
the  Little  Belt.  After  the 
English  had  lost  thirty-two  men  in  killed  and 
wounded,  they  came  to  terms. 

The  American  people  now  saw  that  war  could 
no  longer  be  avoided.  On  June  18,  1812,  the 
formal  declaration  was  made. 


COMMODORE   JOHN    RODGERS. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERR  Y. 


VII.  —  WAR  ON  THE  CANADIAN  BORDER. 

Up  to  this  time  the  English  navy  had  been 
called  the  ''Mistress  of  the  Seas."  England's  ves 
sels  could  be  numbered  by  the  hundred,  and  the 
crews  by  the  ten  thousand. 

When  this  war  of  1812  was  declared,  the  entire 
United  States  navy  comprised  about  half  a  dozen 
frigates,  and  six  or  eight  sloops  and  brigs.  Along 
the  American  coast  alone  the  English  had  seven 
times  this  number  of  war  vessels. 

The  first  few  months  of  the  war  were  full  of 
naval  surprises.  In  that  brief  time  the  Americans 
captured  more  British  ships  than  the  French  had 
taken  in  twenty  years. 

On  August  i  Qth,  the  American  frigate  Constitu 
tion,  commanded  by  Captain  Isaac  Hull,  in  one 
half  hour  captured  the  English  frigate  Guerriere. 
The  English  lost  one  hundred  men,  and  the  vessel 
was  so  disabled  that  she  was  left  to  sink.  The 
Americans  lost  but  fourteen  men,  and  in  a  few 
hours  the  ship  was  ready  for  another  battle. 

Several  other  victories  followed  in  quick  succes- 


THE  S TOR Y  OF  OLI VER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


sion.  In  all  this  time  the  Americans  did  not  lose 
a  ship. 

In  December,  Commodore  Bainbridge,  the  same 
officer  who  had  been  taken  prisoner  years  before 
by  the  Tripolitans  and  had  afterwards  been  pro 
moted,  was  cruising  with  the  frigate  Constitution 
off  the  coast  of  Brazil.  He  there  encountered  and 
captured  the  British  frigate  Java. 

But  though  so  successful  on  the  sea,  the  Amer 
icans  were  defeated  many  times  on  land. 

The  possession  of  the  Great  Lakes  was  of  the 
utmost  importance  to  both  the  English  and  the 
Americans. 

Ever  since  the  Revolution  the  English  had  kept 
a  naval  force  on  these  lakes.  They  had  hoped 
that  some  time  they  might  be  able  to  extend  the 
Canadian  territory  along  the  Great  Lakes  and 
down  the  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans.  This  would 
give  them  the  possession  of  the  great  west. 

Many  prosperous  towns  and  trading  posts  were 
scattered  along  the  Canadian  shores.  To  capture 
some  of  these  was  the  task  given  to  the  American 
army. 


IO2 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY, 


The  campaign  was  opened  by  General  William 
Hull.  With  two  thousand  men  he  crossed  the 
Detroit  River,  and  marched  into  Canada. 

After  a  few  skirmishes  with  the   Indians,  he  fell 
back  to  the  fort  at  Detroit.     Then,  without  firing 
a  single  gun,  he  gave  up  this  fort  to  the  English. 
This    surrender  was   a  great   loss   to  the   Ameri 
cans  for  many  reasons. 

There  was,  in  the  west, 
a  bold  Indian  warrior 
whose  name  was  Tecum- 
seh.  He  had  a  brother 
whom  the  Indians  called 
the  Prophet,  because  he 
was  a  medicine  man  and 
could  do  wonderful  things. 
These  two  Indians  wished 
to  form  a  union  of  all  the 
tribes  from  Canada  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  They 
hoped  that  in  this  way  they  might  prevent 
the  white  settlers  from  taking  their  hunting 
grounds. 

(<The  white  men  are  continually  driving  the  red 


TECUMSEH. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  OLIVER  HA ZA  RD  PERR  Y.  IQ 


people  toward  the  west  ;  by  and  by  we  shall  be 
driven  into  the  Great  Water, "  they  said. 

The  governor-general  of  Canada  made  the 
Indians  many  promises,  and  tried  to  incite  them 
against  the  United  States.  In  this  way  he  per 
suaded  many  warlike  tribes  to  give  aid  to  the 
English.  Tecumseh  himself  crossed  into  Canada 
and  joined  the  British  army  under  General  Proctor. 

After  Hull's  surrender  of  Detroit,  the  British  and 
Indians  took  possession  not  only  of  that  fort,  but 
also  of  Fort  Dearborn,  where  Chicago  now  stands. 
The  territory  of  Michigan  was  completely  in  their 
hands,  and  the  settlers  along  the 
lakes  and  all  through  the  north 
west  were  at  the  mercy  of  the 
Indians. 

General  William  Henry  Harri 
son  tried  to  regain  Detroit.  His 
advance  guard  was  met  and  de-  WILLIAM  HENRY 

„  .  .     .  f  HARRISON. 

feated  at  the  River  Kaisin,  a  tew 
miles  south  of  Detroit.      Every  American  prisoner 
was  murdered  by  the  Indians;  and  for  years  after 
ward  the  River  Raisin  was  a  name  of  horror. 


I O4  ™E  STOR  Y  °F  OLIVER  HAZA RD  PERR  Y. 


The  Americans  felt  that  something  desperate 
must  be  done.  The  first  great  thing  to  be  gained 
was  the  control  of  the  lakes. 

At  this  time  nearly  the  whole  of  the  western 
country  was  a  wilderness.  The  only  way  of  mov 
ing  men  and  supplies  from  place  to  place,  was  by 
the  use  of  boats  on  the  lakes  and  water  courses. 

On  Lake  Ontario  a  small  fleet  had  been  built, 
and  a  skirmish  or  two  had  been  fought.  But  the 
thing  of  most  importance  was  the  control  of  Lake 
Erie.  This  would  not  only  give  back  Detroit  to  the 
Americans,  but  would  also  be  the  means  of  recov 
ering  the  whole  of  the  Michigan  territory. 

The  task  of  building  a  fleet  and  driving  the 
English  from  the  lakes  was  given  to  Lieutenant 
Perry. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  war  he  had  left  his 
quiet  home  in  Newport,  and  had  hurried  to  Wash 
ington  to  ask  for  active  service. 

He  was  promised  the  first  vacancy,  but  in  the 
meantime  he  was  ordered  to  protect  the  harbors  of 
Long  Island  Sound  with  a  flotilla  of  gunboats. 

During  the  year   1812   he  performed   this  duty 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  OLIVER  HA ZA  RD  PERR  Y.  j  Q  ^ 


faithfully,    all   the  while  drilling  his  men,  in  hopes 
of  being  intrusted  with  a  larger  responsibility. 


VIII. — OLIVER  PERRY  BUILDS  A  FLEET. 

In  February,  1813,  Lieutenant  Perry  was  or 
dered  to  go  to  Lake  Erie.  He  was  to  take  with 
him,  from  his  gunboats,  the  men  whom  he 
thought  best  fitted  for  the  service  and  report  to 
Commodore  Chauncey,  who  was  in  command  of  the 
squadron  on  Lake  Ontario.  The  American  head 
quarters,  on  that  lake,  were  at  Sacketts  Harbor. 

It  was  almost  impossible  to  reach  the  place. 
From  the  Hudson  River  to  the  shores  of  Lake 
Ontario,  was  a  vast  wilderness.  No  road  had 
been  cut  through  it;  none  but  Indians  could  follow 
the  difficult  trails. 

The  only  route  known  to  the  white  men  was 
along  the  Mohawk  River  to  Lake  Oneida,  then  by 
the  Oswego  River  to  the  little  village  of  Oswego  on 
Lake  Ontario.  To  transport  men  and  arms  along 
this  route  was  a  great  task,  requiring  much  time, 
skill,  and  patience. 


io6 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


Oliver  Perry  was  a  man  of  action.  On  the  very 
day  that  he  received  his  orders,  he  started  fifty 
men  to  Lake  Ontario,  and  the  next  day  fifty 
more. 

On  February  22d,  in  the  coldest  part  of  winter, 
he  left  his  home  and  his  young  wife  in  Newport, 


and  with  his  brother 
Alexander,  began  the 
difficult  journey  to 
wards  the  north. 

Sometimes  they  traveled  in  rude  sleighs  over  the 
roughest  of  roads.  Sometimes,  when  the  river 
was  not  too  full  of  ice,  they  embarked  in  canoes. 
At  other  times,  they  could  only  go  on  foot  through 
the  thick  underbrush.  On  all  sides  was  a  vast 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


107 


wilderness,  inhabited  only  by  wild  beasts  and  un 
friendly  Indians. 

At  Oswego,  they  embarked  in  boats  and  followed 
the  shore  of  Lake  Ontario  to  Sacketts  Harbor. 
On  one  side  of  them  was  the  dreary  inland  sea 
full  of  tossing  white  caps  and  overhung  by  the 
leaden  sky  of  winter.  On  the  other  side  lay  the 
trackless  forest. 

To  relieve  their  loneliness,  they  occasionally  fired 
a  musket.  The  echoes  would  roll  along  the  shore, 
growing  fainter  and  fainter.  This  only  made  the 
silence  which  followed  seem  greater  than  before. 

A  cold  rain  began  to  fall,  and  by  the  time  they 
reached  Sacketts  Harbor  they  were  drenched  to 
the  skin. 

On  March  i6th,  Lieutenant  Perry  set  out  for 
Lake  Erie.  Upon  reaching  the  harbor  at  Erie  he 
found  that  twenty-five  ship  carpenters  had  already 
begun  work  on  three  gunboats  and  two  brigs. 
Fifty  more  carpenters  had  started  four  weeks 
before  from  Philadelphia,  but  had  not  yet  arrived. 

The  task  which  lay  before  Oliver  Perry  seemed 
almost  an  impossible  one.  Mechanics,  seamen, 


j  Qg  THE  STOR  y  OF  OLIVER  HA  ZA  RD  PERR  Y. 

guns,  sailcloth, — everything  needed  for  the  ships 
must  be  brought  hundreds  of  miles  through  a  wild 
and  half-settled  country. 

But  by  the  end  of  the  summer,  a  fleet,  which 
seemed  to  have  been  built  by  magic,'  was  ready  to 
meet  the  English.  Six  months  before,  the  timbers 
used  in  building  the  vessels  had  been  growing  trees; 
the  iron  that  held  these  timbers  together  was  either 
in  the  mines  or  in  warehouses  or  farmers'  barns,  in 
the  shape  of  plowshares,  axes,  or  horseshoes. 

The  shipbuilders  had  come  through  the  wilder 
ness  from  Philadelphia.  The  guns,  ammunition, 
and  rigging  had  been  brought  in  ox-wagons,  hun 
dreds  of  miles  over  almost  impassable  roads. 

While  Perry  was  building  this 
fleet,  a  sad  event  had  taken  place 
on  the  sea.  The  British  frigate 
Shannon  met  and  captured  the 
American  frigate  Chesapeake,  June 
i,  1813,  near  Boston  harbor. 

Captain  Lawrence  of  the  Chesa 
peake  fought  bravely,  but,  in  the 
battle,   was  mortally  wounded.     As  he  was  being 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  OLIVER  HA ZA  RD  PERR  Y. 


carried  below,  his  last  words  were :  ' '  Don't  give 
up  the  ship  !  " 

The  Secretary  of  the  Navy  sent  word  to  Lieuten 
ant  Perry  to  name  one  of  the  vessels  of  his  new 
fleet  the  Lawrence,  after  this  gallant  captain. 
Lieutenant  Perry  therefore  gave  this  name  to  his 
flagship. 

By  the  loth  of  July  the  fleet  was  ready  for  sea, 
but  there  were  only  officers  and  men  enough  to 
man  one  ship.  Several  of  these  were  ill  with  fever. 

Lieutenant  Perry  wrote  many  letters  to  General 
Harrison,  Commodore  Chauncey,  and  the  Secre 
tary  of  the  Navy. 

''Give  me  men,  and  I  will  acquire  both  for  you 
and  for  myself  honor  and  glory  on  this  lake,  or  die 
in  the  attempt, "  he  said. 

By  the  end  of  July  he  had  over  four  hundred 
men  for  his  nine  vessels.  But,  as  he  said,  they 
were  a  ''motley  crew"  of  regular  soldiers,  negroes, 
and  raw  recruits.  During  the  battle  which  fol 
lowed,  over  a  hundred  of  these  men  were  too  sick 
to  be  of  any  use. 

The  English  fleet  of  six  vessels  was  commanded 


,  IQ  THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


by  Captain  Barclay.      In  his  crews  were  over  five 
hundred  men  and  boys. 


IX. "WE  HAVE  MET  THE  ENEMY  AND  THEY  ARE 

OURS." 

Early  in  August  the  American  squadron  left  the 
harbor  of  Erie,  and  sailed  to  Put-in-Bay,  an 
island  not  far  from  the  west  end  of  the  lake. 

The  British  squadron  was  in  the  harbor  of  Fort 
Maiden,  nearly  opposite  on  the  Canadian  shore. 

On  the  morning  of  September  10,  1813,  from 
the  masthead  of  the  Lawrence,  the  English  fleet 
was  seen  approaching. 

As  the  Americans  were  sailing  out  to  battle, 
Lieutenant  Perry  gathered  his  men  together  and 
talked  to  them  about  the  courage  they  would  need. 

He  showed  them  a  large  blue  flag,  bearing  in 
white  letters  a  foot  high  the  words:  ' 'Don't  give 
up  the  ship !" 

-My  brave  lads,"  he  said,  "this  flag  bears  the 
last  words  of  Captain  Lawrence.  Shall  I  hoist  it?" 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


With  one  voice,  the  men  shouted:    "Aye,   aye, 


sir!' 


As  the  bunting  was  run  up  on  the  Lawrence, 
cheer  upon  cheer  came  from  every  vessel  of  the 
American  squadron.  The  men  were  then  sent  to 
their  quarters,  and  every  one  quietly  waited  for 
the  beginning  of  battle. 

It  was  a  beautiful  morning.  The  sky  was  cloud 
less,  and  there  was  hardly  a  ripple  to  disturb  the 
lake.  The  English  vessels  were  newly  painted,  and 
gayly  adorned  with  flags.  Every  sail  shone  in 
dazzling  whiteness  in  the  sunlight. 

At  half-past  ten  a  bugle  was  heard  from  the 
English  flagship,  which  was  followed  by  cheers 
from  the  other  vessels.  Across  the  water  the 
Americans  could  hear  the  strains  of  the  English 
national  air  played  by  a  band. 

On  the  Lawrence  all  was  still.  With  determined 
faces  the  men  stood  by  the  guns. 

Lieutenant  Perry  knew  that  a  great  responsibil 
ity  was  upon  him.  He  knew  that,  should  he  lose 
the  battle,  General  Proctor  and  Tecumseh,  with 
five  thousand  soldiers  and  Indians,  were  ready  to 


j  2  THE  STOR  Y  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERR  Y. 


cross  the  lake,  and  take  possession  of  the  southern 
shore.  All  through  that  part  of  the  country, 
anxious  men,  women,  and  children  were  waiting 
to  flee  from  their  homes,  if  the  dreaded  Indians 
came  upon  them. 

These  •  things  Lieutenant  Perry  knew.  He 
passed  along  the  deck,  carefully  examining  every 
gun.  He  had  a  word  of  encouragement  for  each 
gun  crew. 

Seeing  some  of  the  men  who  had  fought  on  the 
Constitution,  he  said,  ' '  I  need  not  say  anything  to 
you.  You  know  how  to  beat  those  fellows." 

As  he  passed  another  gun,  commanded  by  a  crew 
that  had  served  in  his  gunboat  flotilla,  he  said: 
"  Here  are  the  Newport  boys!  .  They  will  do  their 
duty,  I  warrant." 

In  this  way  he  filled  all  his  men  with  a  great 
earnestness,  and  a  determination  to  conquer  or  die. 

While  the  two  squadrons  were  yet  a  mile  apart, 
the  English  sent  a  cannon  ball  skimming  over  the 
water.  For  some  time  there  followed  a  vigorous 
firing  from  both  sides. 

As  the   English  guns  could  carry  farther  than 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 

\3 

those  of  the  Americans,  Lieutenant  Perry  brought 
his  flagship  into  close  quarters.  The  other  Amer 
ican  vessels  were  some  distance  behind. 

The  whole  British  squadron  then  opened  fire 
upon  the  Lawrence. 

At  the  end  of  an  hour  of  this  unequal  battle,  the 
condition  of  the  Lawrence  was  pitiable.  One  by 
one  the  guns  had  been  disabled.  Finally  only  one 
on  the  side  toward  the  enemy  could  be  used.  The 
rigging  was  damaged,  the  spars  were  shattered, 
and  the  sails  were  torn  into  shreds.  Eighty-three 
men  had  been  killed  or  wounded. 

Two  musket  balls  passed  through  Lieutenant 
Perry's  hat,  and  his  clothing  was  torn  by  flying 
splinters. 

One  heavy  shot  crushed  into  the  large  china 
closet,  and  smashed  every  dish  with  a  great  clatter. 
A  dog,  that  had  been  locked  up  there,  startled  by 
the  noise,  added  to  the  tumult  by  howling  dis 
mally. 

Several  times  the  Lawrence  barely  escaped  being 
blown  up.  Two  cannon  balls  passed  entirely 
through  the  powder  magazine. 


j  j  .  THE  STOR  Y  OF  OLIVER  HAZA RD  PERR  Y. 

Even  the  wounded  men  crawled  upon  the  deck 
to  lend  a  feeble  hand  in  firing  the  guns.  It  was 
Oliver  Perry  himself,  however,  that  loaded  and 
fired  the  last  gun  of  the  Lawrence. 

Lieutenant  Perry  at  last  determined  to  change 
his  flag  from  the  Lawrence  to  the  Niagara.  A 
breeze  had  sprung  up,  which  enabled  this  vessel  to 
come  near  to  the  helpless  Lawrence. 

The  first  lieutenant  was  left  in  command  of  the 
Lawrence,  with  orders  to  hold  out  to  the  last. 
Then  with  his  brother  Alexander  and  four  seamen, 
Lieutenant  Perry  got  into  a  rowboat.  Just  as 
they  were  shoving  off,  a  seaman  on  the  Lawrence 
hauled  down  the  blue  flag,  bearing  the  motto, 
" Don't  give  up  the  ship!"  He  rolled  it  up  and 
tossed  it  to  Perry. 

The  smoke  of  the  battle  was  so  dense  that  the 
rowboat  had  nearly  reached  the  Niagara  before  it 
was  seen  by  the  English.  Then  a  shot  was  sent 
which  went  straight  through  the  boat's  side. 

Taking  off  his  coat  and  rolling  it  up,  Perry 
quickly  thrust  it  into  the  hole  which  the  ball  had 
made.  This  kept  the  boat  from  sinking. 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


As  he  stepped  upon  the  deck  of  the  Niagara, 
Perry  ordered  the  blue  flag  to  be  hoisted.  Just  at 
this  moment  the  Lawrence  surrendered. 

The  English  gave  a  cheer,  thinking  they  had 
won  the  battle.  They  were  not  able,  however,  to 


THE    BATTLE    OF    LAKE    ERIE. 


board  and  take  the  Lawrence  at  once,  and  so  she 
drifted  away.  When  safely  out  of  range  her 
colors  were  rehoisted. 

Bringing  the  Niagara  into  position,  Lieutenant 
Perry  fired  a  terrific  broadside  into  one  of  the  Eng 
lish  vessels.  Then  he  sailed  quickly  to  another 
and  did  the  same  thing. 

The  other  American  vessels  followed  this  exam 
ple,  and  a  terrific  battle  followed. 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


In  just  fifteen  minutes  the  English  surrendered. 
Two  vessels  of  their  squadron  attempted  to  es 
cape,  but  were  soon  overtaken  and  captured. 

Lieutenant  Perry  was  determined  that  the 
formal  surrender  should  take  place  on  the  Law 
rence.  So  once  more  he  lowered  his  flag,  and 
jumping  into  a  boat,  made  for  his  first  flagship. 

When  he  stepped  on  board  the  Lawrence  not  a 
cheer  was  heard.  The  handful  of  men  that  were 
left  silently  greeted  their  commander. 

Few  of  them  were  uninjured.  Some  had  splin 
tered  arms  and  legs.  Others  had  bandages  about 
their  heads.  Their  faces  were  black  with  powder. 

The  English  officers  came  on  board  to  present 
their  swords  to  Perry.  With  quiet  dignity  he 
returned  each  one. 

He  then  took  from  his  pocket  an  old  letter. 
Using  his  cap  for  a  desk,  he  wrote  with  a  pencil 
his  famous  dispatch  to  General  Harrison: 

'  '  We  have  met  the  enemy  and  they  are  ours. 
Two  ships,  two  brigs,  one  schooner,  and  one  sloop. 
Yours,  with  very  great  respect  and  esteem, 

"O.  H,  PERRY." 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERR  Y.  j  j  « 


X. — WHAT  PERRY'S  VICTORY  ACCOMPLISHED. 

The  battle  on  Lake  Erie  was  the  beginning  of 
the  end  of  the  war.  The  news  of  the  victory 
caused  great  rejoicings  all  over  the  country.  In 
all  the  principal  towns  there  were  meetings,  bon 
fires,  and  torchlight  processions. 

General  Harrison  could  now  take  his  army  into 
Canada.  No  time  was  lost.  He  hurried  over  four 
thousand  men  to  the  lake,  where  Perry's  fleet 
waited  to  take  them  across. 

The  main  body  of  the  British  army,  under 
General  Proctor  and  Tecumseh,  was  at  Fort  Mai 
den.  Upon  landing  there  the  Americans  found 
that  the  enemy  had  fled,  having  burned  the  forts, 
barracks,  and  stores. 

General  Harrison  followed  the  English  up  the 
left  bank  of  the  Detroit  River.  The  fort  at  De 
troit  was  surrendered  without  any  resistance,  and 
the  English  retreated  along  the  St.  Clair  Lake 
and  up  the  Thames  River. 

The  Americans  steadily  pursued  them.      Perry  > 


j  j  g  THE  STOR  Y  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERR  Y. 

with    his    fleet,    followed    the   army,    carrying  the 
baggage  and  provisions. 

He  became  so  excited  over  the  chase  that  he 
could  not  remain  quietly  on  his  ships.  So,  leaving 
them  in  charge  of  one  of  his  officers,  he  went 
ashore  and  offered  his  services  to  General  Harri 
son  as  aid-de-camp. 

As  he  joined  the  army  he  was  met  with  cheers 
of  welcome  from  the  soldiers.  General  Harrison 
afterward  said  :  *  '  The  appearance  of  the  gallant 
Perry  cheered  and  animated  every  soldier." 

Following  the  English  some  distance  up  the 
Thames,  the  Americans  finally  overtook  them. 
They  were  drawn  up  in  line  of  battle  on  a  narrow 
strip  of  land  which  lay  between  the  river  and  a 
large  swamp. 

The  American  cavalry  made  a  bold  dash 
through  these  lines,  and  the  enemy  was  soon 
routed.  Over  sixty  British  and  Indians  were 
killed,  and  six  hundred  troops  were  made  prisoners. 
'General  Proctor  made  his  escape,  but  Tecumseh 
was  killed. 

The  death  of  this  great  chief  severed  forever  the 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERR  Y. 


tie  which  bound  the  Indians  to  the  English.  Soon 
afterwards  all  the  tribes  of  the  northwest  declared 
submission  to  the  United  States.  The  white  set 
tlers  in  the  region  about  the  Great  Lakes  were 
thus  freed  from  their  fear  of  the  savages. 

During  the  battle  of  the  Thames,  the  soldiers 
greatly  admired  the  fine  horsemanship  of  Oliver 
Perry.  He  rode  a  powerful  black  horse,  with  a 
white  face,  that  could  be  seen  from  all  parts  of  the 
field. 

Once,  when  riding  swiftly  to  carry  out  some  orders 
of  the  general's,  the  horse  plunged  into  the  deep 
mire  to  his  breast.  Perry  pressed  his  hands  on 
the  pommel  of  the  saddle,  and  sprang  over  the 
horse's  head  to  dry  ground. 

Relieved  from  the  weight  of  his  rider,  the 
horse  freed  himself  and  bounded  forward.  Perry 
clutched  the  mane  as  he  passed  and  vaulted  into 
the  saddle,  without  stopping  the  animal's  speed  for 
a  moment.  As  he  passed  the  soldiers,  many 
cheers  arose. 

On  October  7,  1813,  Perry  returned  to  Detroit, 
and  from  there  started  back  to  his  home  in  New- 


120 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


port.  The  people  hailed  him  with  joy,  and  enough 
could  not  be  said  in  his  praises.  Even  Captain 
Barclay  of  the  English  fleet  called  him  ' '  The  gal 
lant  and  generous  enemy." 

His  journey  to  Newport  was  indeed  a  triumphal 
one.  In  every  town  that  he  passed  through,  busi 
ness  was  stopped  and  the  schools  were  closed  so 
that  all  could  have  a  glimpse  of  the  hero  of  Lake 
Erie.  Processions  accompanied  him  from  town  to 
town. 

On  November  i8th,  he  reached  his  home  in 
Newport.  Bells  were  rung,  all  the  ships  were 

adorned  with 
flags,  and  salutes 
were  fired  in  his 
honor. 

On  November 
29th,  he  received 
his  promotion  to 
the  rank  of  cap 
tain.     At  that  time   this  was  the  highest  rank  in 
the  American  navy.     A  gold  medal  was  also  given 
to  him  by  Congress. 


GOLD    MEDAL   AWARDED    BY    CONGRESS. 


THE  STORY  QF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


In  the  following  January  he  made  a  visit  to 
Washington,  where  he  was  publicly  entertained  by 
the  President  and  citizens. 

In  August,  1814,  he  was  ordered  to  command  a 
new  frigate  named  the  Java.  He  hastened  to 
Baltimore,  where  this  vessel  was  to  be  launched. 

On  the  nth  of  September,  Lieutenant  Mac- 
donough,  who  was  in  command  of  the  American 
squadron  on  Lake  Champlain,  gained  a  decisive 
victory  over  the  British  near  Plattsburg.  Every 
thing  at  the  North  seemed  now  to  be  favorable 
to  the  Americans  ;  but  it  was  not  so  at  the 
South. 

While  Captain  Perry  was  waiting  at  Baltimore, 
the  British  had  sailed  up  the  Potomac  with  an 
army  and  a  fleet.  They  captured  Washington, 
and  burned  the  capitol,  the  White  House,  and 
some  of  the  other  public  buildings. 

Being  so  successful  in  this,  they  made  a  like 
attempt  upon  Baltimore,  but  were  driven  back. 
They  then  blockaded  Chesapeake  Bay. 

Just  at  this  time,  Congress  passed  a  bill  to  fit 
out  two  squadrons  of  fast-sailing  vessels.  These 


j  2  2  THE  STOR  y  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERR  Y. 


were  to  cruise  near  the  English  coasts  and  destroy 
the  commerce  between  the  different  ports. 

Captain  Perry  was  ordered  to  leave  the  Java 
and  command  one  of  these  squadrons.  But  before 
he  could  sail  for  England,  peace  was  declared.  A 
treaty  with  that  country  was  signed  December 
24,  1814. 


XI. — ON  THE  MEDITERRANEAN  AGAIN. 

While  the  United  States  had  been  at  war  with 
England,  trouble  had  again  arisen  with  the  Barbary 
States.  None  of  these  countries  had  been  so 
annoying  as  Algiers.  The  ruler,  or  Dey,  of  Algiers 
knew  that  every  American  naval  vessel  was  busy 
fighting  the  English.  He  therefore  thought  this  a 
good  time  to  burn  and  plunder  the  merchant  ships. 
He  also  demanded  large  sums  of  money  in  return 
for  his  captured  prizes  and  prisoners. 

But  no  sooner  was  peace  concluded  with  Eng 
land,  than  Congress  declared  war  with  Algiers.  A 
squadron  was  sent  to  the  Mediterranean,  com 
manded  by  the  brave  Stephen  Decatur,  and  he 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY 


soon  compelled  the  Dey  to  sign  a  treaty  with  the 
United  States. 

In  this  treaty  the  Dey  promised  to  give  back  all 
the  American  property  he  had  captured.  If  there 
was  anything  that  he  could  not  return,  he  was  to 
pay  for  it  at  its  full  value.  He  was  also  to  release  all 
the  Americans  he  held  as  prisoners,  and  give  up, 
forever,  all  claim  to  tribute  money  from  the  United 
States. 

When  the  consuls  of  other  countries  heard  of 
what  Decatur  had  accomplished,  they  tried  to  per 
suade  the  Algerine  ruler  to  make  the  same  terms 
with  them.  Then  the  Dey  was  sorry  that  he  had 
1  'humbled  himself"  before  the  young  republic,  and 
he  declared  that  he  did  not  consider  the  treaty 
binding. 

Congress  therefore  thought  it  wise  to  strengthen 
the  American  squadron  in  the  Mediterranean,  in 
order  that  this  trouble  should  be  settled. 

Captain  Perry  was  ordered  to  take  the  Java  and 
sail  at  once  for  Algiers.  On  January  22,  1816,  he 
set  sail,  and  in  March  he  joined  the  American 
vessels  off  the  eastern  coast  of  Spain. 


I  2  A  THE  STOR  Y  OF  OLIVER  HA ZA RD  PERK  Y. 


Upon  arriving  at  Algiers,  they  found  that  the 
Dey  had  just  received  a  large  amount  of  tribute 
money  from  an  English  fleet.  This  made  him 
very  unwilling  to  talk  about  treaties. 

The  English  fleet  had  not  only  brought  money 
to  pay  for  the  release  of  English  prisoners,  but 
also  had  brought  vast  sums  from  the  governments 
of  Naples  and  Sardinia  to  buy  the  freedom  of  their 
enslaved  countrymen. 

Twelve  hundred  captives  were  freed  in  this 
way,  and  put  aboard  the  English  vessels.  There 
were  people  of  all  ages,  clothed  in  rags.  Some 
had  been  taken  while  young  arid  now  were  old  men, 
with  gray  hair  and  beards. 

The  Dey  refused  to  treat  with  the  American 
commander,  and  the  Americans  would  have  de 
stroyed  the  Algerian  fleet  and  bombarded  the  town 
at  once,  but  for  an  article  in  the  treaty  which 
Decatur  had  made.  This  article  stated  that  when 
either  side  should  become  dissatisfied  with  the 
treaty,  three  months'  notice  should  be  given  before 
actual  fighting  began. 

While  waiting  for   these  three  months  to   pass, 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


125 


the  American  squadron  cruised  about  the  Mediter 
ranean  and  visited  the  other  Barbary  States.  The 
commander  wished  to  show  the  rulers  of  these 
states  that  our  country  had  a  navy  which  could 
protect  our  commerce. 

After  this  the  fleet  sailed  along  the  south 
ern  coast  of  Europe.  There  was  no  vessel 
which  attracted  more  admiration  than  Captain 
Perry's  Java.  To  visit  this  ship  was,  indeed,  a 
pleasure. 

The  captain  was  a  courteous  host,  and  always 
made  his  guests  welcome.  Everything  on  the  ship 
was  in  order,  and  ready  for  instant  use.  The  dis 
cipline  of  the  crew  was  perfect. 

Being  a  good  musician  himself,  Captain  Perry 
had  the  finest  band  in  all  the  fleet.  He  took  a 
personal  interest  in  each  one  of  his  men,  and  was 
always  ready  with  a  word  of  praise  when  he  saw  it 
was  deserved.  He  gave  the  midshipmen  lessons 
in  navigation,  and  saw  that  they  had  lessons  in 
Spanish  and  French  and  in  the  use  of  the  sword. 
They  were  even  taught  to  dance. 

Whenever  it  was  possible  the  men  were  allowed 


126  ™E  STOR Y  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERR  Y. 

to  go  on  shore,  in  order  that  they  might  visit  the 
places  of  interest. 

By  January,  1817,  the  Dey  of  Algiers  finally 
came  to  terms  and  signed  a  new  treaty,  agreeing 
to  the  conditions  required  by  the  United  States. 
Captain  Perry  was  soon  afterwards  ordered  to 
sail  for  America,  carrying  this  new  treaty  with 
him.  In  March  he  arrived  at  Newport. 


XII. — CAPTAIN  PERRY'S  LAST  CRUISE. 

After  so  many  months  of  cruising,  Captain  Perry 
was  very  glad  to  be  again  in  his  own  country. 

He  spent  the  next  two  years  quietly  at  home 
with  his  family.  He  built  a  snug  little  cottage  in 
Narragansett,  on  the  old  Perry  estate.  This  was 
the  same  farm  that  had  been  purchased  by  the 
young  Quaker,  Edmund  Perry,  so  many  years 
before.  Here  the  family  spent  the  summers. 

Captain  Perry  was  always  fond  of  life  in  the 
country.  He  took  many  long  rides  on  horseback. 
Besides  his  horses,  he  had  many  other  pets  on  the 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


127 


farm.  He  and  his  three  little  sons  spent  a  great 
deal  of  time  taking  care  of  them. 

The  winters  were  passed  in  the  house  at 
Newport. 

These  were  the  happiest  years  of  Oliver  Perry's 
life,  and  he  could  not  help  but  be  sorry,  when,  on 


CAPTAIN    PERRY'S    RESIDENCE   AT    NEWPORT. 

March  31,  1819,  he  received  a  summons  to  go  to 
Washington. 

Upon  arriving  there,  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
told  him  of  an  expedition  that  the  government 
wished  him  to  undertake. 

He  was  to  go  to  Venezuela,  on  the  northern 
coast  of  South  America.  This  was  a  new  republic 


128 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


which  had  formerly  been  a  colony  of  Spain.  Its 
people  were  still  righting  for  their  independence, 
just  as  the  people  of  the  United  States  had  fought 
against  the  king  of  England. 

Small,  fast-sailing  war  vessels,  called  privateers, 
had  been  fitted  out  by  this  republic.  These  ves 
sels  were  designed  to  capture  Spanish  merchant 
ships,  and  were  allowed  to  keep  all  the  money  that 
was  obtained  from  the  prizes. 

But  it  was  not  the  Spanish  ships  alone  which 
suffered  from  these  privateers.  The  desire  for 
prize  money  led  them  to  attack  ships  of  other 
nations.  The  American  merchants  had  met  with 
many  losses  in  this  way. 

Captain  Perry  was  to  present  claims  for  these 
losses,  and  also  to  persuade  the  president  of 
Venezuela  to  keep  his  privateers  from  preying  on 
American  commerce.  For  this  expedition,  Perry 
was  to  have  two  vessels,  the  sloop  John  Adams 
and  the  schooner  Nonsuch. 

On  July  15,  1819,  he  arrived  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Orinoco  River.  Here  he  was  obliged  to  take 
the  small  schooner  in  order  to  go  up  the  river  and 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERR  Y.  j  2 g 


reach  the  town  of  Angostura,  which  was  then  the 
Venezuelan  capital.  He  sent  the  John  Adams  to 
Port  Spain,  on  the  island  of  Trinidad,  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty  miles  away.  This  vessel  was  or 
dered  to  wait  there  for  his  return. 

The  voyage  up  the  Orinoco  was  an  interesting 
one.  All  along  the  shores  were  vast  tropical  for 
ests  with  overhanging  trees  full  of  birds  of  brilliant 
colors.  Luxuriant  vines  were  festooned  from  limb 
to  limb.  Flowers  of  all  colors  grew  everywhere. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  trip  was  full  of  hardships. 
The  heat  was  fearful  and  the  sand-flies,  gnats, 
and  mosquitoes  were  almost  unbearable. 

Soon  after  reaching  Angostura  many  of  the 
crew  were  taken  ill  with  yellow  fever,  but  Perry 
would  not  leave  until  his  mission  was  accom 
plished.  After  three  weeks  of  delay,  he  succeeded 
in  getting  the  promises  for  which  he  had  come. 

The  schooner  then  sailed  down  the  river,  reach 
ing  the  mouth  on  August  i5th.  On  account  of  a 
high  sea,  to  cross  the  bar  that  night  would  be  a 
dangerous  undertaking,  and  the  vessel  was  there 
fore  anchored  until  morning. 


THE  STORY  OF  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY. 


During  the  night,  the  wind  freshened  so  much 
that  the  spray  dashed  into  the  cabin  where  Captain 
Perry  was  sleeping.  In  the  morning  he  awoke  with 
a  cold  chill  and  symptoms  of  yellow  fever. 

Every  effort  was  made  to  reach  ihefo/m  Adams 
as  soon  as  possible.  Captain  Perry  grew  rapidly 
worse.  In  the  intense  heat,  his  little  schooner 
cabin  was  most  uncomfortable. 

The  winds  were  unfavorable  and  the  progress  of 
the  little  vessel  was  slow.  When  within  a  mile  of 
the  John  Adams,  Captain  Perry  died.  This  was 
on  his  thirty-fourth  birthday,  August  23,  1819. 

He  was  buried  on  the  island  of  Trinidad  with 
military  honors,  and  the  John  Adams  brought  back 
the  sad  news  to  the  United  States. 

His  death  was  regarded  as  a  national  calamity. 
The  government  sent  a  war  vessel  to  bring  his  body 
home.  He  was  finally  laid  to  rest  at  Newport, 
where  a  granite  monument  marks  his  grave. 

The  feelings  of  his  fellow  officers  were  well 
expressed  by  Stephen  Decatur.  Upon  hearing  of 
Perry's  death,  he  said:  "Sir!  The  American  navy 
has  lost  its  brightest  ornament!" 


THE  STORY  OF 

ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


I. — CHILDHOOD. 

On  July  5,  1 80 1,  in  a  rude  cabin  in  Eastern 
Tennessee,  David  Glasgow  Farragut  was  born. 

It  was  a  wild  and  lonely  place.  For  miles 
around  the  little  farm,  nothing  could  be  seen  but 
woods.  Few  sounds  could  be  heard  save  the  sing 
ing  of  birds  and  sometimes  the  cries  of  wild 
beasts. 

There  was  already  one  child  in  the  family,  a 
boy;  whose  name  was  William. 

George  Farragut,  the  father,  was  a  brave  man. 
He  was  a  Spaniard,  and  had  come  to  America 
during  the  Revolutionary  War. 

He  was  a  lover  of  liberty,  and  for  that  reason  he 
had  taken  up  arms  with  the  colonists  to  help  them 

win  their  independence  from  England. 

133 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


After  the  close  of  the  war,  he  had  married  a 
hardy  frontier  girl,  and  had  come  to  this  wild  place 
to  make  his  home. 

His  life  on  the  little  clearing  in  the  backwoods 
was  one  of  toil  and  frequent  hardships.  Every  day 
he  was  busy  chopping  down  trees,  planting  crops,  or 
hunting  in  the  great  forest. 

The  young  wife,  Elizabeth,  was  also  busy,  keep 
ing  her  house  and  spinning  and  making  the  clothes 
for  herself,  her  husband,  and  her  children. 

Little  David  Farragut  grew  strong  very  fast. 

He  and  William  had  no  playmates,  but  they 
liked  to  run  about  under  the  trees.  They  could 
not  go  far  from  the  cabin,  however,  as  there  were 
both  wild  beasts  and  Indians  in  the  woods. 

Sometimes  the  father  would  be  away  for  several 
days,  hunting  wild  game  for  the  family  to  eat.  At 
such  times,  the  mother  and  children  would  be  left 
alone. 

One  day  a  band  of  Indians  came  and  tried  to 
enter  the  cabin.  The  mother  sent  the  boys  into 
the  loft,  where  they  crouched  down  close  to  the 
roof  and  kept  very  still.  Then,  for  hours,  she 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FA  RR  A  GUT. 


guarded  the  door  with  an  axe,  until,  at  last, 
something  frightened  the  Indians  and  they  went 
away. 

When  little  David  was  about  seven  years  old, 
his  father  was  appointed  by  the  government  to 
command  a  gunboat  on  the  Mississippi.  As  his 
headquarters  were  to  be  at  New  Orleans,  the 
family  moved  to  a  plantation  on  the  banks  of  Lake 
Pontchartrain.  This  lake  is  near  the  city. 

When  not  on  duty  on  the  gunboat,  George  Far- 
ragut  was  very  fond  of  sailing  on  the  lake.  He 
had  a  little  sailboat  in  which  he  would  take  the 
children,  even  in  severe  storms. 

Sometimes  the  weather  would  be  so  bad  that  they 
couldn't  come  home;  and  then  they  would  sleep  all 
night  on  the  shore  of  some  island.  The  father 
would  wrap  the  children  in  a  sail,  or  cover  them 
with  dry  sand  to  keep  them  warm. 

One  day  a  neighbor  told  him  that  it  was  danger 
ous  to  take  the  children  on  such  trips.  George  Far- 
ragut  replied,  "Now  is  the  time  to  conquer  their 
fears." 

When  fishing  in  the  lake  one  morning,  George 


36 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


Farragut  saw  a  boat  in  which  there  was  an  old  man 
all  alone.  Pulling  alongside,  he  found  that  the 
stranger  had  become  unconscious  from  the  heat  of 
the  sun. 

He  was  taken  to  the  Farragut  home,  and,  al 
though  he  was  nursed  for  some  time  with  the  great 
est  of  care  and  everything  was  done  for  him  that 
could  be  done,  yet  he  grew  no  better. 

Finally  Mrs.  Farragut  also  was  taken  very  ill, 
and  in  a  few  days  both  she  and  the  stranger  she 
had  nursed  so  tenderly,  died.  This  was  a  sad  day 
for  the  family  of  George  Farragut. 

Not  long  after  the  funeral,  a  stranger  called 
at  the  Farragut  house.  He  said  that  his  name 
was  David  Porter  and  that  he  was  the  son  of  the 
old  gentleman  who  had  died  there.  He  thanked 
George  Farragut  for  his  kindness  to  his  father,  and 
offered  to  adopt  one  of  the  Farragut  boys. 

There  were  now  five  children  in  the  family,  and 
David's  father  was  very  glad  to  accept  this  offer. 
The  oldest  son,  William,  already  had  a  commis 
sion  as  midshipman  in  the  navy,  and  so  it  was 
decided  that  David  should  be  the  one  to  go. 


THE  STOR Y  OF  ADMIRAL  FA RRAGUT.  j  -  j 


Captain  Porter  was  at  that  time  the  commander 
of  the  naval  station  at  New  Orleans.  His  hand 
some  uniform,  with  its  belt  and  shining  buttons, 
seemed  very  attractive  to  little  David,  and  he  was 
eager  to  go  with  his  new  guardian. 

David  spent  a  few  months  with  the  Porter  family 
in  New  Orleans.  Then  Captain  Porter  took  him 
to  Washington  and  placed  him  in  school  there. 

One  day  David  was  introduced  to  a  great  man, 
the  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  He  asked  the  boy 
many  questions,  and  was  so  pleased  with  his  intel 
ligent  answers  that  he  said  to  him,  "My  boy,  when 
you  are  ten  years  old  I  shall  make  you  a  midship 
man  in  the  navy." 

This  was  a  proud  moment  for  little  David  Farra- 
gut.  The  great  man  did  not  forget  his  promise. 
The  appointment  came  six  months  before  the  time 
that  was  named.  It  was  arranged  that  the  lad 
should  go  with  Captain  Porter  in  the  frigate 
Essex. 

It  was  several  months,  however,  before  the  vessel 
was  ready  to  sail.  In  the  meantime,  David  at 
tended  a  school  in  Chester,  Pennsylvania. 


138 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGU1. 


II. — THE  LITTLE  MIDSHIPMAN. 

For  a  long  time  England  had  been  at  war  with 
France.  British  men-of-war  and  privateers  were 
in  the  habit  of  attacking  any  vessel  going  to  or 
from  the  ports  of  France.  More  than  this,  the 
British  government  claimed  the  right  to  search 
American  vessels  to  see  whether  any  English 
sailors  were  on  board. 

Nor  was  this  the  worst.  Numbers  of  American 
seamen  were  falsely  accused  of  being  English 
deserters,  and  every  year  many  were  taken  from 
their  own  vessels  and  forced  to  serve  on  British 
ships. 

The  Americans  tried  to  induce  the  British  gov 
ernment  to  cease  this  unjust  treatment.  They 
tried  to  settle  the  matter  peaceably,  but  the  British 
were  haughty  and  overbearing  and  would  not  agree 
to  give  up  any  of  their  claims. 

On  June  18,  1812,  things  had  gone  so  far  that  our 
country  was  obliged  to  declare  war  against  Great 
Britain.  A  squadron  was  fitted  out  and  ordered 
to  cruise  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  in  order  to  pro 
tect  American  vessels  from  the  British. 


THE  S TOR  Y  OF  A DMIRA L  FA RRA  GUT. 


139 


Captain  Porter's  vessel,  the  Essex,  was  to  be  one 
of  this  fleet.  It  was  not  ready,  however,  to  sail 
with  the  others;  but  orders  were  given  that  it 
should  follow  as  soon  as  possible  and  join  the 
squadron  in  the  Atlantic. 

If  Captain  Porter  could 
not  find  the  squadron,  he 
was  to  do  whatever  he 
thought  best. 

On  October  28,  1812,  the 
Essex  sailed  down  the  Dela 
ware  River,  and  through 
the  bay  into  the  ocean. 
There  was  a  pennant  flying 
from  the  mast-head  on 

which  were  the  words,  ' '  Free  Trade  and  Sailors' 
Rights  "  It  was  for  these  things  that  Captain 
Porter  was  ready  to  fight.  By  his  side  stood 
the  little  midshipman,  David  Farragut,  in  his 
shining  uniform.  There  was  no  prouder  boy  in  all 
America  than  he  was  on  that  day. 

For  several  months,  Captain  Porter  cruised 
about  the  Atlantic.  He  captured  several  English 


CAPTAIN  DAVID  PORTER. 


j  .  o  THE  STOR  Y  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRA GUT. 


vessels,  and  then,  as  he  could  not  find  the  Ameri 
can  squadron,  he  decided  to  make  a  trip  around 
Cape  Horn,  and  cruise  in  the  Pacific. 

The  passage  around  Cape  Horn  is  one  of  the 
most  dangerous  in  the  world,  but  Captain  Porter 
was  not  afraid.  The  Essex  was  one  of  the  best 
ships  in  the  navy,  and  the  crew  had  been  drilled 
very  thoroughly. 

Sometimes  Captain  Porter  sounded  a  false  alarm 
of  fire  on  shipboard.  This  was  to  test  the  courage 
of  the  men  and  prepare  them  for  accidents.  Some 
times  he  even  caused  a  smoke  to  be  made.  The 
sailors  soon  became  so  accustomed  to  a  cry  of 
"  Fire  "  that  it  caused  no  confusion. 

The  courage  of  the  crew  was  severely  tried  in 
going  around  Cape  Horn.  The  weather  was  bit 
terly  cold,  and  for  twenty-one  days  the  ship  was 
buffeted  by  furious  storms. 

By  this  time  the  provisions  were  almost  gone. 
Each  man  had  but  a  small  daily  allowance  of 
bread  and  water.  Little  David  Farragut  was 
having  his  first  real  experience  as  a  sailor. 

From  Cape  Horn,    Captain  Porter  sailed  north 


THE  S TOR  Y  OF  A DMIRA L  FA RRA  GUT.  j   .  j 


along  the  west  coast  of  South  America,  and 
stopped  at  an  island  near  the  coast  of  Chili.  The 
sailors  went  on  shore  with  their  guns  and  killed 
some  wild  hogs  and  horses.  They  were  in  such 
need  of  fresh  meat  that  they  ate  even  the  flesh  of 
the  horses  with  great  relish. 

For  months  the  Essex  cruised  about  in  the 
beautiful  Pacific.  Captain  Porter  captured  several 
English  vessels,*  and  warned  American  whaling- 
ships  of  danger.  Some  of  these  had  been  at  sea 
for  many  months  and  had  not  heard  of  the 
war. 

Sometimes  the  Essex  would  stop  at  an  island, 
and  the  crew  would  go  on  shore  to  kill  seals; 
sometimes  they  would  anchor  in  shallow  bays  and 
fish  for  cod. 

On  one  solitary  island  there  was  a  strange  post- 
office,  a  box  nailed  to  a  tree.  Here  passing  ves 
sels  would  leave  messages  and  letters,  to  be  taken 
up  by  other  vessels  that  chanced  to  be  going  in 
the  right  direction. 

The  Essex  stopped  at  this  island  for  some  time. 
The  crew  found  prickly  pears  to  eat.  They  killed 


T  A  2  THE  STOR  y  OF  A DMIRA L  FA RRA  GUT. 


pigeons,  which  the  cook  made  into  pies,  and  they 
made  soup  of  the  turtles  they  caught.  Those 
were  great  days  for  David  Farragut. 

The  Essex  finally  left  this  island  in  May,  1813. 
Soon  more  English  vessels  were  sighted  and 
captured.  One  of  these  was  to  be  taken  to  Val 
paraiso,  and  Captain  Porter  put  David  Farragut 
in  charge  of  it.  The  young  commander  was  then 
but  twelve  years  of  age. 

The  gray-haired  English  captain  was  very  angry 
at  having  to  take  orders  from  a  boy.  He  tried 
to  ignore  David,  and  when  he  failed  in  this, 
attempted  to  frighten  him.  He  threatened  to 
shoot  any  man  who  obeyed  David's  orders,  and 
went  below  for  his  pistols. 

David  knew  that  the  American  sailors  were  loyal 
to  him.  So  he  sent  word  to  the  captain  that  if  he 
did  not  obey,  he  would  have  him  thrown  over 
board. 

After  this  there  was  no  more  trouble.  David 
brought  the  vessel  into  the  port  of  Valparaiso  in 
safety.  He  soon  afterward  rejoined  the  Essex. 

Captain    Porter    now   decided   to   go    to   some 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRA  GUT. 


islands  far  out  in  the   Pacific,  where  he  could  refit 
the  ship. 

As  the  Essex  approached  one  of  these  islands, 
she  was  met  by  a  canoe  filled  with  natives.  The 
bodies  of  these  people  were  tattooed,  and  they  were 
gayly  ornamented  with  feathers.  They  invited 
the  sailors  on  shore,  and  promised  to  give  them 
fruit  and  provisions. 

During  the  six  weeks  that  were  occupied  in  re 
fitting  the  ship,  the  sailors  rested  on  the  island. 
David  and  the  other  boys  of  the  crew  were  given 
lessons  by  the  ship's  chaplain  each  day,  and  when 
school  hours  were  over,  they  were  allowed  to  visit 
the  islanders. 

The  young  natives  taught  the  American  boys 
many  things.  They  showed  them  how  to  walk 
on  stilts,  and  how  to  use  a  spear  skillfully  and  with 
ease.  Best  of  all,  they  taught  them  how  to  swim. 
The  people  of  this  island  could  swim  as  easily  as 
they  could  walk.  Even  the  babies  could  float  in  the 
water  like  ducks. 

The  Essex  left  this  island  in  December,  1813, 
and  sailed  for  Valparaiso. 


I  44  THE  STOR  Y  OF  ADMIRAL 


III. — THE  Loss  OF  THE  ESSEX. 

One  day  in  the  following  February,  two  English 
war  vessels  appeared  in  the  harbor  of  Valparaiso. 
The  Essex  was  lying  quietly  at  anchor,  and  many 
of  her  crew  were  on  shore. 

The  British  vessels  bore  down  upon  the  Essex 
in  a  very  hostile  manner.  Captain  Porter  was 
afraid  they  would  attack  him.  They  had  no  right 
to  do  this,  for  Chili  was  not  at  war  with  either 
England  or  America. 

One  of  these  British  vessels  was  a  frigate  called 
the  Phoebe.  The  other  was  a  sloop  named  the 
Cherub.  The  Phoebe  approached  the  Essex  until 
she  was  within  fifteen  feet  of  her  side. 

Captain  Porter,  standing  on  the  deck,  hailed, 
saying:  "If  you  touch  a  single  yardarm,  I  shall 
board  you  instantly!  "  The  Phoebe  passed  by  with 
no  reply. 

After  this,  the  British  vessels  anchored  at  the 
entrance  of  the  harbor.  They  could  thus  keep  the 
Essex  a  prisoner. 

The  vessels  remained  in  this  position  for  several 
weeks.  On  the  28th  of  March,  a  furious  gale 


THE  S TOR  Y  OF  A DMIRA L  FA RRA  GUT.  j  .  r 


sprang  up.  The  cables  of  the  Essex  gave  way, 
and  she  began  to  drift  out  toward  the  English 
vessels.  Captain  Porter  now  made  a  desperate 
effort  to  escape.  He  set  all  sails  and  made  for 
the  open  sea. 

Suddenly  something  snapped.  The  main  top 
mast  came  crashing  down,  carrying  sails,  rigging, 
and  some  of  the  crew  into  the  water.  In  this  dis 
abled  condition  escape  was  impossible.  The  Essex 
was  driven  toward  the  shore  and  was  finally 
brought  to  anchor  within  pistol  shot  of  the 
beach. 

The  Essex  had  but  four  guns  that  would  shoot 
as  far  as  the  cannon  of  the  English.  The  Phoebe 
and  the  Cherub  took  a  position  out  of  range  of 
nearly  all  the  Essex  guns,  and  then  poured  broad 
side  after  broadside  into  the  unfortunate  vessel. 

Captain  Porter  and  his  gallant  crew  fought 
against  these  odds  until  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
four  of  the  men  had  been  killed  or  wounded. 
Then  the  Essex  surrendered. 

During  all  this  dreadful  battle  there  was  no 
braver  officer  than  the  little  midshipman,  David 


146 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


Farragut.  Sometimes  he  was  carrying  messages 
for  the  captain;  again,  he  was  bringing  powder 
for  the  guns. 

Once  when  going  down  the  hatchway  a  wounded 
man  fell  upon  him.  David  barely  escaped  being 
crushed  to  death. 

Captain  Porter  was  so  pleased  with  his  conduct 
that  he  mentioned  his  bravery  in  his  official  dis 
patches  to  the  government. 

After  the  surrender  the  wounded  were  removed 
to  shore.  David  offered  his  services  to  the  sur 
geons.  He  worked  early  and  late,  preparing 
bandages  and  waiting  upon  the  injured  men. 

In  speaking  of  this  afterward,  he  said,  "  I  never 
earned  Uncle  Sam's  money  so  faithfully." 

The  British  put  all  the  American  prisoners  on 
board  an  unarmed  vessel,  and  made  them  promise 
that  they  would  not  take  up  arms  against  the 
English  until  they  had  been  exchanged  for  an 
equal  number  of  English  prisoners. 

After  this  the  Americans  were  allowed  to  sail 
for  the  United  States.  They  arrived  in  the  harbor 
of  New  York  on  July  7,  1814. 


THE  S TOR  Y  OF  A DMIRA L  FA RRA  GUT.  j   .  j 


IV. — THE  TRIP  ON  THE  MEDITERRANEAN. 

Although  a  prisoner  of  war,  David  Farragut  was 
glad  to  get  back  to  the  United  States. 

While  waiting  to  be  exchanged  he  attended  a 
school  in  Chester,  Pennsylvania. 

It  was  a  strange  school.  The  pupils  had  no 
books.  The  teacher,  Mr.  Neif,  told  them  the 
things  he  wished  them  to  learn,  and  the  boys 
wrote  them  down  in  notebooks.  They  would 
sometimes  be  examined  on  these  notes  to  see 
whether  they  had  paid  proper  attention. 

In  the  afternoons,  Mr.  Neif  would  take  the  boys 
for  long  walks.  They  made  collections  of  minerals 
and  plants,  and  learned  many  curious  and  useful 
facts  about  them. 

Mr.  Neif,  who  had  been  a  soldier,  gave  the  boys 
military  drill.  He  also  taught  them  to  swim  and 
climb. 

David  Farragut  was  not  a  handsome  boy.  But 
people  liked  to  look  at  him,  for  his  face  was  honest 
and  good.  He  was  short  for  his  years,  but  he 
stood  very  erect,  and  held  his  head  as  high  as  he 
could. 


I  48  THE  STOR  Y  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRA  GUT. 

1 '  I  cannot  afford  to  lose  any  of  my  inches, " 
he  said. 

In  November,  1814,  the  British  and  the  Amer 
icans  made  an  exchange  of  prisoners,  and  David 
Farragut  was  now  free  to  return  to  the  navy. 
As  a  treaty  of  peace  was  made  a  few  weeks 
later,  he  did  not  have  to  serve  against  the  British. 

During  the  next  two  years,  David  made  but  one 
short  cruise.  He  was  quartered,  the  rest  of  the 
time,  on  a  receiving  ship.  This  is  a  vessel  sta 
tioned  at  the  navy  yards,  where  recruits  are  first 
received  into  the  service. 

In  the  spring  of  1816,  David  went  on  a  cruise 
that  proved  to  be  most  interesting.  He  was 
ordered  to  the  Washington,  a  beautiful  new  ship 
of  seventy-four  guns.  This  was  to  carry  the 
American  minister  to  Naples,  in  Italy. 

While  waiting  at  Annapolis  for  the  minister  they 
had  a  visit  from  the  President,  James  Madison. 
Among  his  suite  was  Captain  Porter,  who  was 
then  a  naval  commissioner.  He  came  to  say 
good-bye  to  David. 

The  voyage  across  the  Atlantic  was  one  to  be 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A DMIRAL  FARRA  GUT.  j  .  Q 


remembered.  The  captain  was  very  proud  of  his 
"crack"  ship.  He  kept  the  crew  so  busy  cleaning 
decks  and  scouring  "bright  work,"  that  sometimes 
they  had  no  food  for  eight  hours  at  a  time.  Once 
all  the  crew  were  kept  on  deck  for  several  nights 
in  succession. 

During  the  summer  months,  the  Washington 
cruised  about  the  Mediterranean,  stopping  at 
many  places.  This  was  a  wonderful  experience 
for  David.  He  visited  the  bay  of  Naples.  The 
great  volcano,  Vesuvius,  was  then  in  eruption, 
and  the  sight  of  this  alone  was  worth  the  voyage. 

While  in  the  bay,  the  king  of  Naples  and  the 
emperor  of  Austria  made  a  visit  to  the  Washing 
ton,  and  a  grand  display  was  made  to  entertain 
them. 

The  Washington  stopped  at  the  coast  towns  of 
Tunis,  Tripoli,  and  Algiers,  and  finally  wintered  in 
a  Spanish  harbor.  The  Spaniards  were  very  kind 
to  the  captain.  They  allowed  him  to  use  their 
navy  yard,  in  which  to  refit  his  vessel. 

During  all  this  cruise,  the  boys  on  the  ship  were 
taught  by  the  chaplain,  Mr.  Folsom. 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


He  was  very  fond  of  David,  and  in  the  autumn 
of  1817,  when  he  was  appointed  consul  to  Tunis, 
he  wrote  to  the  captain  of  the  Washington  for 
permission  to  take  David  with  him. 

This  request  was  granted,  and  David  spent  a 
delightful  year  with  his  old  friend.  He  studied 
mathematics  and  English  literature.  He  also 
learned  to  speak  French  and  Italian. 

He  and  Mr.  Folsom  took  many  trips  about  the 
Mediterranean,  and  these  were  of  great  benefit  to 
him.  In  October,  1818,  he  returned  to  the  Wash 
ington,  in  which  he  cruised  for  another  year. 


V. — WAR  WITH  THE  PIRATES. 

While  David  Farragut  was  at  a  port  in  the 
Mediterranean,  he  was  summoned  to  America  to 
take  his  examination  for  the  lieutenancy.  He  was 
then  eighteen  years  of  age. 

In  November,  1820,  he  arrived  in  New  York, 
where  he  passed  his  examination  successfully.  He 
did  not  receive  any  appointment,  however,  for  some 
time,  as  there  were  no  vacancies  in  the  navy. 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT.  j  r 


The  next  two  years  were  spent  with  the  Porter 
family  at  Norfolk,  Virginia. 

In  1822,  he  sailed  for  a  short  time  on  a  sloop  of 
war,  that  was  cruising  about  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
On  his  return  to  America,  he  learned  that  Captain 
Porter  was  fitting  out  a  fleet  to  cruise  against  the 
pirates  of  the  West  Indies. 

These  robbers  had  small,  fast-sailing  ships. 
They  would  attack  unarmed  merchant  vessels, 
seize  all  the  valuables  they  could  carry  away,  and 
destroy  the  remainder.  Sometimes  they  killed 
the  crew;  at  other  times  they  put  them  ashore  on 
some  desert  island. 

For  years,  Americans  and  English  had  been 
waging  war  against  these  pirates,  but  without  suc 
cess.  With  their  small  boats  the  robbers  would 
run  into  the  shallow  bays  and  creeks,  where  no 
other  vessels  could  follow  them;  and  so  they  had 
grown  bolder  and  bolder  every  year. 

Ever  since  peace  had  been  declared  with  Eng 
land,  Captain  Porter  had  been  a  commissioner  of 
the  navy,  and  had  made  no  sea  voyages.  But 
now  he  offered  to  resign  his  position,  and  drive 


r  2  THE  S  TOR  Y  OF  A  DM  IRA  L  FARRAGUT. 


the  pirates  from  the  sea.  He  said  he  would  do 
this  upon  one  condition.  He  must  have  a  fleet  of 
small  vessels  that  could  follow  the  pirates  into 
their  lurking  places. 

The  government  accepted  his  offer,  and  gave 
him  orders  to  fit  out  such  a  fleet  as  he  chose. 
He  bought  eight  small  schooners  similar  to  those 
used  by  the  pirates.  To  these  were  added  five 
large  rowboats  or  barges,  which  were  called  the 
Mosquito  Fleet.  David  Farragut  was  assigned 
to  one  of  the  vessels  named  the  Greyhound. 

This  fleet  of  Captain  Porter's  had  many  encoun 
ters  with  the  pirates.  At  one  time,  when  the 
Greyhound  was  off  the  southern  coast  of  Cuba, 
some  of  the  crew  went  on  shore  to  -hunt  game, 
and  were  fired  upon  from  the  thicket  by  pirates. 
The  Americans  returned  this  fire  without  effect, 
and  then  went  back  to  their  ship. 

Young  Farragut  was  ordered  to  take  a  party  of 
men  to  capture  the  pirates,  and  at  three  o'clock  the 
next  morning  they  set  out  in  the  barges. 

After  landing,  David  and  his  men  tried  to  go 
around  to  a  point  at  the  rear  of  the  place  where 


THE  STOP  Y  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRA  GUT.  j  r  « 


the  pirates  were  supposed  to  be.  This  was  no  easy 
thing  to  do.  They  had  to  cut  their  way  through 
thickets  of  cactus,  thorny  bushes,  and  trailing 
vines.  Their  shoes  were  cut  from  their  feet 
with  walking  over  the  sharp  rocks;  and  the  heat 
was  so  intense  that  some  of  the  men  fainted. 

At  last  they  found  the  pirate  camp.  It  was 
deserted.  The  robbers  had  seen  the  Greyhound 
and  the  barges,  and  had  fled  to  some  other  hiding 
place.  In  the  camp,  which  was  protected  by 
several  cannon,  there  were  some  houses  a  hundred 
feet  long.  There  was  also  an  immense  cave  filled 
with  all  kinds  of  goods  taken  from  plundered 
vessels. 

The  sailors  burned  the  houses,  and  carried  the 
plunder  and  cannon  to  their  boats.  The  prize 
that  David  himself  took  away  was  a  monkey, 
which  he  had  captured  after  a  fierce  struggle. 

As  the  sailors  were  returning  to  their  boats,  they 
heard  a  great  noise  in  the  thicket  behind  them,  and 
thought  that  the  pirates  had  come  back  to  attack 
them.  David  Farragut  made  a  speech  to  his  men. 
He  urged  them  to  stand  their  ground  and  fight 


j  r»  THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 

bravely.  Imagine  their  surprise  and  amusement 
at  finding  their  foes  to  be  thousands  of  land  crabs, 
making  their  way  through  the  briars! 

This  was  only  one  of  many  encounters  that  the 
Mosquito  Fleet  had  with  the  pirates.  Through  all 
the  time,  the  American  sailors  suffered  much  from 
yellow  fever  and  exposure.  David  Farragut  after 
ward  said:  "I  never  owned  a  bed  during  my  cruise 
in  the  West  Indies,  but  lay  down  to  rest  wherever 
I  found  the  most  comfortable  berth. " 

The  pirates  were  finally  driven  from  the  seas. 
Their  boats  were  burned  or  captured,  and  their 
camps  destroyed. 

While  on  this  cruise,  David  got  leave  of  absence 
to  visit  his  sister  in  New  Orleans.  She  was  the 
only  one  of  the  family  still  living  at  the  old  home. 
It  was  hard  for  her  to  recognize  in  the  stranger 
the  boy  who  had  left  home  so  long  before. 

When  young  Farragut  was  on  his  way  to  the 
north  and  within  sight  of  Washington,  he  was 
taken  ill  with  yellow  fever.  He  had  nursed  many 
a  poor  sailor,  and  had  hitherto  escaped  the  disease. 

After  a  short  time  spent  in  a  Washington  hos- 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FA  RR  A  GUT. 


155 


pital,  he  was  able  to  return  home.  Soon  after 
ward,  he  was  married  in  Norfolk,  Virginia,  to 
Susan  Marchant.  But  it  was  nearly  two  years 
before  he  was  entirely  well,  and  strong  enough 
to  resume  his  duties  in  the  navy.  In  the  mean 
while,  he  and  his  bride  spent  much  time  with  the 
family  of  Captain  Porter.  / 


VI. — FROM  LIEUTENANT  TO  CAPTAIN. 

In  August,  1825,  David  Farragut  at  last  received 
his  commission  as  lieutenant.  He  was  ordered 
on  board  the  ship  Brandywine,  the  vessel  which 
was  to  have  the  honor  of  taking  the  Marquis  de 
Lafayette  to  France. 

This  great  Frenchman  had  always  been  a  warm 
friend  of  the  United  States.  Fifty  years  before, 
he  had  taken  a  leading  part  in  the  Revolutionary 
War,  and  had  been  one  of  General  Washington's 
most  trusted  officers. 

After  the  Revolution,  he  had  returned  to  his 
home  in  sunny  France.  He  had  always  loved 
America,  and  in  his  old  age  he  felt  that  he 


156 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FA  RR A  GUT. 


would  like  to  visit  again  the  great  nation  which 
he  had  helped  to  establish.  So  in  1824,  though 
old  and  gray,  he  had  come  back  to  America  as 
the  honored  guest  of  the  nation. 

From  one  end  of  the  land  to  the  other,  his 
tour  had  been  one  grand  ovation. 
And  now  that  he  was  to  return 
home,  the  good  ship  Brandy- 
wine  was  detailed  to  carry  him 
safely  across  the  Atlantic. 

The  voyage  was   an  unevent 
ful  one  for  Lieutenant  Farragut. 
After      landing       Lafayette      in 
France,  the  Brandywine  cruised  about  the  shores 
of  England  and  in  the  waters  of  the  Mediterranean 
for  about  a  year. 

On  his  return  to  America,  Lieutenant  Farragut 
found  that  his  wife  was  in  very  poor  health,  and 
he  obtained  leave  of  absence  from  the  navy,  in 
order  that  he  might  take  her  to  a  famous  doctor 
in  New  Haven,  Connecticut. 

During  his  stay  in  that  city,  he  regularly  at 
tended  the  lectures  at  Yale  College,  for  David 


LAFAYETTE. 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


157 


Farragut  never  wasted  an  opportunity  for  self- 
improvement.  When  his  wife  was  better,  they 
returned  to  Norfolk,  where  he  was  placed  in  charge 
of  the  receiving  ship  in  the  navy  yard. 

Most  of  the  boys  on  the  ship  were  uneducated 
and  did  not  know  one  letter  from  another.  Lieu 
tenant  Farragut  therefore  established  a  school  on 
board.  This  proved  to  be  of  great  value  to  these 
poor  boys. 

One  boy  had  run  away  from  home  to  avoid 
going  to  school,  and  he  was  determined  that  he 
would  not  study.  It  was  only  after  many  severe 
punishments  that  he  was  conquered.  When  once 
started  in  the  right  direction,  he  learned  rapidly. 

One  day,  seven  years  afterward,  a  fine-looking, 
well-dressed  man  stopped  David  Farragut  on  the 
street.  On  being  asked  his  name,  the  stranger 
replied,  "I  have  grown  probably  a  foot  since  we 
parted,  but  do  you  not  remember  the  boy  who 
once  gave  you  so  much  trouble  ?  " 

' '  Oh  yes, "  said  Farragut,  ' '  but  I  should  never 
have  recognized  him  in  you." 

"  Nevertheless, "  said  the  stranger,    "I  am  the 


158 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


same,  and  am  ready  to  acknowledge  you  the 
greatest  benefactor  and  friend  I  ever  had  in  this 
world  of  trouble." 

After  leaving  the  receiving  ship,  Lieutenant 
Farragut  spent  the  next  ten  years  in  short  cruises 
along  the  South  American  coast  and  about  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  During  all  this  time  his  wife  was 
an  invalid,  and  her  health  continued  to  fail  until 
her  death  in  1840. 

For  two  years  before  her  death,  Lieutenant 
Farragut  was  at  home  on  leave  of  absence.  He 
could  then  be  constantly  with  her  and  wait  upon 
her. 

In  speaking  of  his  devotion  to  his  wife,  a  lady  in 
Norfolk  said:  "When  Lieutenant  Farragut  dies, 
every  woman  in  the  city  should  bring  a  stone,  and 
build  for  him  a  monument  reaching  to  the 
skies. " 

In  1841  promotion  came  to  Farragut,  and  he 
received  a  commission  as  commander  in  the  navy. 

In  1845,  the  state  of  Texas  was  annexed  to  the 
United  States.  This  brought  about  a  dispute 
with  Mexico  concerning  the  southwestern  bound- 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


159 


ary  of  the  state,    and  the  result  was  a  short  war, 
in  which  the  Americans  were  victorious. 

Commander  Farragut  was  very  anxious  to  serve 
his  country  in  this  Mexican  War,  and  wrote  many 
letters  to  the  Navy  Department,  asking  for  the 
command  of  a  ship.  For  a  long  time  he  waited 
in  vain.  When,  at  last,  a  vessel  was  assigned  to 
him,  it  was  too  late  for  him  to  do  his  country  any 
service.  The  war  was  about  over,  and  there  was 
no  more  work  for  the  navy  to  do. 

From    1850   until    1*852,    he    was    employed   in 
Washington,    drawing    up   a    book   of    regulations 
for   the  navy.      As   when  in   New  Haven  he  had 
attended  the  lectures 
of  Yale    College,    so 
•now      he      attended 
those  of  the   Smith 
sonian  Institution. 

"  I   have  made  it 
a  rule   of  my  life   to 
do  all  things  with  a 
view   to   the  possible  future.      You    cannot   come 
away  from  such  lectures  without  being  wiser  than 


SMITHSONIAN    INSTITUTION. 


i6o 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


when  you  went  in,"  he  said.  When  the  book  of 
regulations  was  finished,  he  went  back  to  the  navy 
yard  at  Norfolk,  where  he  gave  a  series  of  lectures 
on  gunnery  to  the  officers. 

About  this  time,  England  and  France  were  at 
war  with  Russia.  Farragut  applied  to  Congress 
for  permission  to  visit  the  English  and  French 
fleets  engaged  in  this  war.  He  wished  to  see 
whether  he  could  learn  of  any  improvements  that 
could  be  made  in  the  American  navy. 

But  Congress  had  other  work  for  him  to  do. 
There  was  to  be  a  new  navy  yard  built  on  the 
Pacific  coast,  at  San  Francisco.  This  would  be  a 
difficult  task,  and  one  requiring  the  services  of  a 
man  having  great  knowledge  and  experience.  No 
one  was  better  fitted  to  undertake  it  than  the 
lieutenant  who  had  been  so  eager  to  make  use  of 
every  opportunity  for  improvement. 

In  August,  1854,  he  was  accordingly  sent  to 
California.  Some  time  before  this,  he  had  mar 
ried  a  second  wife,  Virginia  Loyall,  of  Norfolk,  and 
she  accompanied  him  to  the  Pacific  coast.  There 
were  then  no  railroads  across  the  great  western 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


161 


plains,  and  they  went  by  ship  to  the  isthmus  of 
Panama.  After  crossing  the  isthmus,  they  em 
barked  upon  a  coasting  vessel,  and  sailed  to  San 
Francisco. 

Commander  Farragut  spent  four  years  in  laying 
the  foundations  of  what  is  to-day  the  great  navy 
yard  on  Mare  Island,  about  thirty  miles  from 
San  Francisco. 

Before  this  work  was  completed  he  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  captain.  This  was,  at  that  time,  the 
highest  rank  in  the  United  States  navy. 

In  July,  1858,  Captain  Farragut  returned  home. 
He  was  given,  at  once,  the  command  of  the  Brook 
lyn.  It  had  been  ten  years  since  he  had  been  on 
a  war  vessel,  and  he  found  many  changes.  His 
ship  had  steam  power  as  well  as  sails.  It  was 
one  of  the  first  steam  war  vessels  built  for  the 
navy. 

The  arrangement  of  the  guns  was  the  same  as 
in  the  old  sailing  sloops.  But  they  were  much 
larger,  and  of  different  shape.  Explosive  shell? 
were  used  instead  of  solid  cannon  balls. 

The  Brooklyn  cruised  for  two  years  in  the  Atlan- 


162 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT 


tic  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  While  on  this  cruise, 
Captain  Farragut  again  visited  New  Orleans,  for 
he  wished  to  see  his  brother  who  was  on  duty  at 
the  naval  station  there.  A  sorrowful  welcome 
awaited  him,  however,  for  his  brother  had  died 
just  before  his  arrival.  The  captain  sadly  returned 
to  his  ship,  and  soon  afterward  sailed  home  to 
Norfolk. 


VII. — THE  QUESTION  OF  ALLEGIANCE. 

In  1 86 1,  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War,  the 
United  States  navy  had  but  ninety  vessels  of  all 
kinds.  Twenty-one  of  these  were  not  fit  for  serv 
ice.  Only  eleven  of  those  in  commission  were  in 
American  waters.  The  rest,  which  were  scattered 
all  over  the  world,  were  recalled  at  once. 

Some  of  those  in  far  away  ports  were  com 
manded  by  southern  captains,  and  it  would  take 
them  several  months  to  reach  America. 

It  was  feared  that  they  would  take  their  vessels 
into  southern  ports,  and  turn  them  over  to  the 
Confederate  government.  These  fears,  however, 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


i63 


were  groundless,  for  all  the  vessels  were  safely 
brought  into  northern  ports.  With  few  exceptions, 
all  the  naval  officers  were  loyal  to  the  United 
States. 

Of  all  these  naval  officers,  none  was  more  loyal 
than  Captain  Farragut.  In  his  home  in  Virginia, 
he  had  watched  the  growing  troubles  with  a  sad 
heart.  He  was  a  southerner  by  birth,  and  his  most 
tender  ties  were  in  Virginia.  It  was  there  that  he 
had  spent  many  years  with  the  Porter  family,  and 
there  he  had  numerous  friends.  It  was  there,  also, 
that  he  had  married  and  made  his  home. 

He  knew  that,  should  war  break  out,  he  would  be 
called  upon  to  choose  between  his  friends  in  the 
South,  and  his  government  in  the  North. 

"God  forbid,"  he  said,  "that  I  should  have  to 
raise  my  hand  against  the  South."  These  very 
words  showed  that  his  decision  had  been  made. 

He  felt  that  he  owed  his  first  allegiance  to  the 
United  States  government,  which  had  given  him 
his  education,  employment,  and  rank.  He  could 
not  take  up  arms  against  the  flag  of  his  country. 
It  was  under  this  flag  thajt  he  had  received  his  first 


164 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


commission   as   midshipman.      In  that   proud  mo 
ment  he  had  taken  his  oath  to  die  in  its  defense. 

On  the  ocean,  he  had  seen  the  proudest  colors 
lowered  to  the  victorious  stars  and  stripes.  At 
Valparaiso,  he  had  stood  on  the  bloody  deck  of 
the  Essex,  and  had  seen  men  give  their  lives  in 
order  that  the  flag  should  not  be  hauled  down. 
He  had  traveled  from  ocean  to  ocean,  and  had 
seen  the  star  spangled  banner  respected  by  all 

nations. 

For  some  weeks  before  the  actual  beginning  of 
war,  there  was  much  excitement  in  Norfolk.  Every 
day  the  men  met  together  in  the  stores  to  talk 
over  the  latest  news,  and  there  were  many  lively 
discussions  among  them.  In  these  meetings,  Cap 
tain  Farragut  boldly  asserted  his  loyalty  to  the 
government,  and  this  caused  him  the  loss  of  many 
of  his  friends. 

One  morning,  when  in  discussion  with  some 
officers,  one  of  them  said  to  him,  "A  person  of 
your  sentiments  cannot  live  in  Norfolk. " 

' '  Well,  then, "  he  calmly  replied,  ' '  I  can  live 
somewhere  else." 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FA  RR  A  GUT. 


He  felt  that  the  time  for  action  had  come.  He 
went  home  at  once,  and  told  his  wife  that  he  was 
going  to  ' '  stick  to  the  flag, "  and  that  they  must 
move  to  the  North. 

With  sad  hearts,  they  sailed  away  from  Norfolk. 

They  went  to  New  York,  and  made  their  home 
on  the  Hudson,  in  a  town  called  Hastings. 

Even  there,  Captain  Farragut  met  with  a  cold 
reception.  The  people  were  suspicious  of  the 
southern  officer  who  had  come  to  live  among  them. 
They  did  not  consider  the  great  sacrifice  that  he 
had  made  in  leaving  home  and  friends. 

Determined  to  do  his  duty,  he  wrote  to  offer  his 
services  to  the  government.  Congress  could  not, 
at  once,  accept  them.  No  minor  position  could  be 
given  to  Captain  Farragut;  it  must  be  one  full  of 
responsibility. 

It  was  not  long,  however,  until  the  government 
had  need  of  his  services.  The  Mississippi  River 
separated  two  large  sections  of  the  southern 
states,  and  its  control  was  of  the  greatest  impor 
tance  to  both  the  North  and  the  South. 

At   the   beginning  of  the  war,  all  the  river  from 


i66 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


Cairo,  Illinois,  to  the  Gulf,  was  controlled  by  the 
South.  The  capture  of  the  upper  forts  in  this 
section  was  first  attempted  by  the  North. 

Large  armies  marched  against  them  by  land, 
and  a  fleet  of  river  gunboats  sailed  down  from  the 
north  to  assist  them.  These  gunboats  were  river 
steamers  which  the  government  had  covered  with 
plates  of  iron  and  armed  with  cannon. 

While  the  northern  river  forts  were  thus  being  at 
tacked,  an  expedition  was  planned  to  capture  the 
fortifications  near  the  river's  mouth. 

The  strongest  of  these  were  Fort  Jackson  and 
Fort  St.  Philip.  These  were  between  New  Or 
leans  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  their  capture 
would  give  New  Orleans  to  the  North.  This  was 
considered  a  very  important  undertaking. 

After  much  discussion,  the  Navy  Department 
decided  that  Captain  Farragut  was  best  fitted  to 
command  this  expedition.  So  Commander  David 
D.  Porter  was  sent  to  Hastings  to  talk  the  matter 
over  with  him.  This  commander  was  the  son  of 
the  Captain  Porter  who  had  adopted  David  Farra 
gut  when  a  boy. 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


i67 


When  Captain  Farragut  heard  of  the  proposed 
expedition  he  was  very  enthusiastic.  He  hurried  at 
once  to  Washington,  where  he  was  appointed  com 
mander  of  the  Western  Gulf  Blockading  Squad 
ron.  This  was  in  January,  1862.  His  orders 
were  to  capture  Forts  Jackson  and  St.  Philip,  and 
take  New  Orleans. 

A  few  weeks  before  this  an  event  took  place 
which  came  near  making  serious  trouble  for  the 
United  States.  The  Confederate  government  had 
appointed  two  commissioners,  John  Slidell  and 
James  Mason,  to  go  to  England  to  see  if  they 
could  not  get  help  from  that  country. 

As  it  would  be  dangerous  for  them  to  sail  in  a 
Confederate  vessel,  they  went  to  Havana,  Cuba, 
where  they  took  passage  in  an  English  vessel 
named  the  Trent. 

Although  they  had  tried  to  do  this  very  secretly, 
Captain  Wilkes,  commanding  a  warship  of  the 
United  States,  heard  about  it,  and  determined  to 
capture  these  men,  if  possible.  So  he  pursued 
the  Trent  and  obliged  her  to  stop. 

The  Confederate  commissioners  refused  to  leave 


i68 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


the  Trent,  and,  therefore,  Captain  Wilkes  sent  an 
armed  force  on  board  and  carried  them  off.  He 
then  took  them  to  Boston  harbor,  where  they  were 
imprisoned  in  a  fort  of  the  United  States. 

This  act  caused  great  indignation  in  England, 
and  it  was  only  through  the  prompt  and  wise 
action  of  President  Lincoln  and  Congress  that 
war  was  averted.  An  apology  was  made  and  the 
Confederate  commissioners  were  allowed  to  pro 
ceed  on  their  voyage  without  further  molestation. 


VIII. — THE  CAPTURE  OF  NEW  ORLEANS. 

On  the  2d  of  February,  1862,  Captain  Farragut 
sailed  from  Hampton  Roads  in  his  flagship,  the 
Hartford.  This  was  one  of  the  new  sloops  of  war 
having  both  steam  and  sails. 

All  the  vessels  of  this  expedition  were  to  meet 
at  Ships  Island,  about  one  hundred  miles  from- 
the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi.  When  Captain 
Farragut  arrived  there  on  February  2oth,  he  found 
only  a  part  of  his  fleet  awaiting  him.  The  other 
vessels  arrived  one  by  one. 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


This  was  the  most  powerful  squadron  that  had 
ever  been  under  an  American  commander.  It 
consisted  of  steam  sloops,  gunboats,  and  mortar 
boats,  forty-eight  vessels  in  all. 

An  army  of  fifteen  thousand  men  was  at  hand 
to  assist  Captain   Farragut.     This  army  had  been 
brought  from  the   North  on  transports,    and   was 
under     the 
command    o  f 
General  Ben 
jamin  F.  But 
ler. 

In  the chan 
nel,  at  the 
mouth  of  the 
Missis  sippi, 

were  heavy  mud  banks,  made  of  deposits  brought 
down  by  the  stream.  To  take  the  large  vessels 
over  this  bar  was  Captain  Farragut's  first  great 
task.  The  water  was  so  shallow  that  the  keels 
of  the  ships  would  sometimes  stick  in  the  mud, 
and  then  it  was  with  the  greatest  of  difficulty  that 
they  could  be  hauled  off. 


THE    HARTFORD. 


j  ,_  o  THE  S  TOR  Y  OF  ADM  IRA  L  FA  RRA  G  UT. 

It  was  the  i8th  of  April  before  all  the  vessels 
were  in  the  river  and  ready  to  attack  the  forts; 
and  in  the  meanwhile,  a  great  naval  battle  had 
been  fought  in  other  waters. 

The  Confederates  had  captured  the  Norfolk 
navy  yard,  and  with  it  the  United  States  vessel 
Merrimac,  which  was  there  at  the  time.  They 
removed  the  masts  of  this  vessel,  and  then 
fitted  her  with  an  iron  prow,  and  built  sloping 
sides  over  the  deck,  covering  them  with  iron  rails 
laid  closely  together  side  by  side. 

Five  of  the  best  Northern  war  vessels  lay  in  the 
bay  outside  of  the  harbor. 

On  March  8th,  1862,  the  Merrimac  attacked 
this  fleet.  She  drove  her  iron  prow  straight 
through  the  side  of  the  Cumberland.  This  vessel 
sank  almost  immediately,  and  but  few  of  the  men 
were  saved. 

Then  the  Merrimac  attacked  the  Congress, 
drove  her  ashore,  and  set  her  on  fire  with  red  hot 
shot.  Meanwhile,  broadside  after  broadside  had 
been  fired  at  the  Merrimac;  but  the  shot  bounded 
harmlessly  from  her  sloping  iron  sides. 


THE  S  TOR  Y  OF  A  DM  IRA  L  FA  RRA  G  UT.  j  -  j 


Night  came  on,  and  before  attempting  to 
destroy  the  other  three  ships,  the  black  monster 
waited  for  the  daylight. 

There  was  consternation  all  through  the  North. 
How  could  a  stop  be  made  to  this  fearful  work 
of  the  Merrimacf  There  was  no  telling  what  she 
might  do  on  the  morrow. 

That  same  night  there  steamed 
into  Chesapeake  Bay  a  queer  look 
ing  little  vessel  which  had  been 
built  by  a  famous  mechanic,  Cap 
tain  John  Ericsson.  She  was 
named  the  Monitor.  She  had  a 

CONFEDERATE  FLAG. 

low,   flat   deck,    pointed    at    both 
ends.      In  the  center  was  a  round,  revolving  turret. 
The  vessel  was  completely  plated  over  with  iron, 
and  in  the  turret  were  two  enormous  guns,  larger 
than  any  that  had  ever  been  used  before. 

On  the  morning  of  March  9th,  when  the  Mer- 
rimac  steamed  out  to  finish  her  work  of  destruc 
tion,  a  stupendous  cannon  ball  came  thundering 
against  her  black  side.  As  the  turret  of  the  little 
Monitor  swung  round,  there  came  another  and 


j  M, 2  THE  S TOR  Y  Of  A DMIRA L  FA RRA GUT. 


another, — such  a  battering  as  never  ship's  side  had 
felt  before  that  day. 

The  broadsides  returned  by  the  Merrimac  fell 
harmlessly  on  the  flat  deck  and  iron  turret  of  the 
Monitor. 

This    battle    lasted    for    nearly    three    hours. 

Neither  vessel  was  injured  to  any  extent.     Finally 
\ 

the  Merrimac  withdrew,  leaving  the  Monitor  in 
possession  of  the  bay. 

In  one  respect,  this  was  the  most  wonderful 
battle  ever  fought  upon  the  water.  It  showed  to 
all  the  nations  of  the  world  that  new  navies  must 
be  built.  In  one  day  all  the  war-ships  in  the  world 
had  become  old-fashioned.'  The  days  for  wooden 
war  vessels  were  over. 

Let  us  now  return  to  Captain  Farragut.  As  I 
have  said,  by  the  i8th  of  April  he  had  succeeded 
in  taking  all  his  vessels  over  the  bar  of  the  Missis 
sippi.  But  still  greater  difficulties  were  ahead  of 
him. 

Before  he  could  capture  New  Orleans,  he  must 
pass  the  two  forts,  Jackson  and  St.  Philip,  on 
opposite  banks  of  the  river.  First  of  all,  however, 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


173 


he  must  break  through  a 
barricade  which  was  below 
the  forts.  This  reached 
from  shore  to  shore,  and 
was  made  of  old  hulks  of 
vessels  and  cypress  logs, 
fastened  together  with  huge- 
iron  chains. 

Should  the  barricade  be 
broken  and  the  forts 
passed,  there  was  still  a 
Confederate  fleet  to  '  be 
overcome.  This  consisted 
of  fifteen  ships,  gunboats, 


MAP    OF    THE   LOWER    MISSISSIPPI, 


7  THE  S  TOR  Y  OF  ADM  IRA  £  FA  RRA  GUT. 

and  steam  rams  similar  to  the  Merrimac.  They 
were  drawn  up  across  the  river  above  the  forts. 
Captain  Farragut  was  not  discouraged  by  any  of 
these  things,  but  began  at  once  to  carry  out  his 
plans. 

All  along  the  banks  of  the  river  were  thick 
woods.  The  forts  themselves  were  almost  hid 
den  by  the  trees.  Captain  Farragut  stationed 
his  mortar  boats  close  to  the  banks,  below  the 
chain  barricade;  and,  in  order  that  they  might  be 
better  hidden  from  the  forts,  large  branches  of 
trees  had  been  tied  to  the  tops  of  the  masts. 

This  mortar  flotilla  was  commanded  by  Captain 
Porter.  The  mortars  could  throw  thirteen-inch 
shells  for  a  distance  of  two  miles. 

Captain  Farragut's  plan  was  to  send  these  mor 
tar  boats  forward  to  bombard  the  forts,  while  the 
other  vessels,  breaking  through  the  chains,  should 
sail  boldly  up  the  river. 

On  the  morning  of  April  i8th,  the  shells  from 
the  mortars  began  to  rain  down  upon  the  forts. 
For  six  days  and  nights  this  firing  never  ceased. 
The  answering  shots  from  the  forts  did  but  little 


THE  S  TOR  Y  OF  A  DMIRA  L  FA  RRA  G  UT. 

harm.     The   Confederates  could  not  take  aim  at 
boats  which  they  could  not  see. 

Meanwhile,  two  of  Captain  Farragut's  gunboats 
crept  up  the  river  at  night,  and  broke  a  passage 
through  the  chain  barricade.  Then,  on  the  night 
of  April  23d,  the  entire  fleet  sailed  through  this 
opening  and  boldly  attacked  the  forts. 

The  whole  river  was  at  once  a  scene  of  con 
fusion.  Every  gun,  both  of  the  forts  and  of  the 
Confederate  fleet,  which  had  hastened  down  the 
river,  was  sending  shot  and  shell  into  the  Union 
fleet. 

The  Confederates  piled  every  kind  of  inflam 
mable  material  upon  huge  rafts,  set  them  on  fire, 
and  sent  them  floating  down  the  river.  They 
hoped,  in  this  way,  to  burn  the  invading  fleet. 
The  river  was  a  blaze  of  light.  The  din  from  the 
cannon  was  terrible. 

But  Captain  Farragut  and  his  vessels  kept 
steadily  on.  They  passed  the  forts,  and  destroyed 
or  captured  every  vessel  in  the  Confederate  fleet. 
This  was  accomplished  with  the  loss  of  but  one 
ship  of  the  Union  squadron. 


176 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


When  the  news  of  this  victory  reached  New 
Orleans,  the  whole  city  was  thrown  into  wild  con 
fusion.  Men,  women,  and  children  rushed  to  the 
levee  and  set  fire  to  the  goods  there. 

Everything  that  would  burn  was  set  on  fire,  and 

sent  down  the  river  to  meet 
the  victorious  fleet  that  was 
coming.  Ships  loaded  with 
burning  cotton,  and  even  a 
half-finished  ram  like  the 
Merrimac  floated  down 
stream,  a  mass  of  flames. 
About  noon  on  April 
25th,  the  fleet  rounded  the 
bend  of  the  river,  and  came 
in  sight  of  the  city.  That 

same  morning,  the  mayor  of  New  Orleans  had 
ordered  the  state  flag  of  Louisiana  to  be  hoisted 
upon  the  city  hall. 

Captain  Farragut  demanded  that  this  should 
be  hauled  down.  He  also  ordered  that  the  stars 
and  stripes  should  be  raised  over  the  buildings 
belonging  to  the  United  States  government. 


GENERAL    B.    F.    BUTLER. 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT.  j  _~ 

Meanwhile,  Commander  Porter  with  his  mortar 
boats  had  been  steadily  bombarding  Fort  Jackson 
and  Fort  St.  Philip.  On  April  28th,  these  forts 
surrendered,  and  the  Union  forces  took  possession. 

On  the  following  day,  the  flag  of  the  United 
States  was  floating  over  the  city  hall  of  New 
Orleans.  General  Butler  and  his  troops  took  pos 
session  of  the  city  on  the  first  of  May. 

On  the  nth  of  July,  on  the  recommendation  of 
President  Lincoln,  Congress  passed  a  resolution 
thanking  Captain  Farragut  for  what  he  had  done ; 
and  a  few  days  later  he  was  further  rewarded  by 
being  raised  to  the  rank  of  rear-admiral. 


IX. — THE    BATTLE  OF  MOBILE  BAY. 

After  the  capture  of  New  Orleans,  Admiral 
Farragut  was  ordered  at  once  to  proceed  up  the 
river.  He  was  to  pass,  or  to  attack  and  capture, 
all  the  Confederate  forts  between  New  Orleans 
and  Memphis. 

But  for  many  reasons,  he  thought  it  unwise  to 
attempt  this  expedition. 


178 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


The  increasing  shallowness  of  the  river  would 
make  it  almost  impossible  to  use  his  best  sea 
going  vessels.  The  upper  forts  were  located  on 
high  bluffs,  and  it  would  be  difficult  to  attack  them 

from  the  river. 

Admiral  Farragut  knew 
that,  should  he  be  able  to 
pass  these  forts,  or  even  to 
silence  their  guns,  he  could 
not  hole!  them  without  a 
large  land  force.  But  he 
was  too  good  a  soldier  to 
do  anything  in  disobedience 
to  orders. 

In   the  face  of  all    these 

difficulties,  he  passed  and  repassed  the  forts  at 
Vicksburg  and  Port  Hudson.  He  made  it  plain 
to  the  Confederates  that  none  of  their  batteries 
on  the  Mississippi  could  stop  the  movements  of 
his  fleet.  But  he  found,  as  he  had  expected,  that 
the  forts  could  not  be  held  until  armies  came  to  his 
assistance. 

A  large  land  force  under  General  Grant  besieged 


GENERAL    N.    P.     BANKS. 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


179 


Vicksburg  until  it  surrendered  on  July  4,  1863. 
Five  days  later,  an  army  under  General  Nathaniel 
P.  Banks  succeeded  in  capturing  Port  Hudson. 

These  were  the  last  Confederate  strongholds  on 
the  Mississippi.     Their  cap 
ture    gave     to    the    Union 
forces  the  entire  control  of 
the  river. 

The  command  of  the 
Mississippi  squadron  was 
given  to  David  D.  Porter, 
who  had  likewise  been  re 
warded  with  the  rank  of  rear 
admiral.  He  took  charge 
of  all  the  river  boats  of  the 

fleet,  while  Farragut,  with  most  of  the  sea-going 
vessels,  sailed  for  the  Atlantic  coast. 

These  vessels  were  all  in  need  of  repairs.  His 
flagship,  the  Hartford,  which  was  in  the  best  con 
dition  of  all,  had  two  hundred  and  forty  scars  from 
shot  and  shell. 

After  the  loss  of  New  Orleans,  Mobile  was  the 
best  Gulf  port  left  to  the  Confederates.  This  city 


ADMIRAL    DAVID    D.    PORTER. 


j  g Q  THE  S TOR  Y  OF  A DMIRA L  FA RRA  GUT. 

stands  at  the  head  of  the  broad,  shallow  bay  of 
Mobile,  thirty  miles  from  the  Gulf. 

The  entrance  to  the  bay  is  very  narrow,  and  it 
was  protected  by  two  strong  forts, — Fort  Mor 
gan  on  one  side,  and  Fort  Gaines  on  the  other. 

Admiral  Farragut  was  ordered  to  capture  these 
forts.  This  would  prevent  the  South  from  using 
the  port  of  Mobile. 

On  January  i8th,  1864,  his  ships  having  been 
repaired,  Captain  Farragut  sailed  again  into  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico. 

He  was  anxious  to  make  the  attack  early  in  the 
spring,  but  it  was  August  before  his  fleet  was 
ready. 

In  the  meantime,  the  Confederates  had  made 
their  fortifications  stronger.  The  only  channel 
through  which  the  vessels  could  pass  was  near 
Fort  Morgan.  The  Confederates  strengthened 
this  fort  with  every  defense  possible. 

A  double  line  of  torpedoes,  or  submarine  mines, 
was  stretched  across  the  channel.  Above  this,  lay 
the  Confederate  fleet.  One  of  these  vessels,  the 
Tennessee,  was  a  huge  iron  ram  like  the  Merrimac. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A DM1 R A L  FA RRA  G UT.  j  g  j 

The  squadron  of  Admiral  Farragut  was  a  strong 
one.  There  were  twenty-four  wooden  war  vessels 
and  four  ironclads  like  the  Monitor. 

On  the  night  of  August  4th,  every  preparation 
was  made  for  the  attack.  The  seamen,  with 
determined  faces,  gave  their  messages  and  keep 
sakes  to  their  messmates,  for  they  hardly  expected 
to  come  out  of  this  fray  alive. 

Admiral  Farragut,  himself,  made  all  his  arrange 
ments  for  the  worst,  though  hoping  for  the  best. 
He  wrote  to  his  wife,  "  I  am  going  into  Mobile  in 
the  morning,  if  God  is  my  leader,  as  I  hope  He 
is,  and  in  Him  I  place  my  trust.  If  He  thinks  it 
is  the  place  for  me  to  die,  I  am  ready  to  submit  to 
His  will.  God  bless  and  preserve  you,  if  any 
thing  should  happen  to  me." 

At  sunrise  the  fleet  moved  steadily  toward  Fort 
Morgan,  the  stars  and  stripes  flying  from  every 
masthead. 

The  four  ironclads  were  sent  ahead,  close  to  the 
forts.  The  wooden  war  vessels  followed,  lashed 
together  in  pairs.  This  was  done  so  that  if  one 
vessel  became  disabled  it  could  be  towed  bv  the 


j  g2  THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 

other.  Farragut  wished  to  lead  the  fleet  in  his 
flagship,  the  Hartford,  but  his  officers  dissuaded 
him,  and  the  Brooklyn  went  first,  the  Hartford  fol 
lowing. 

The  admiral  climbed  up  in  the  rigging,  where  he 
could  command  a  view  of  the  entire  fleet.  As  the 
shells  from  the  forts  began  to  fall  about  the  ves 
sels,  he  climbed  higher  and  higher,  in  order  to  see 
above  the.  smoke. 

Fearing  that  a  shot  would  cut  the  ropes,  one  of 
his  officers  climbed  up  to  him  and  w'ound  a  rope 
around  his  body.  The  end  of  this  was  secured  to 
the  mast. 

The  ironclad  Tecumseh  was  now  leading  the 
fleet.  Suddenly  there  was  a  muffled  explosion. 
The  stern  of  the  Tecumseh  rose  out  of  the  water 
and  she  plunged  bow  foremost  to  the  bottom  of 
the  channel. 

At  this,  the  Brooklyn  stopped,  and  with  reversed 
engines  began  to  back  water.  Admiral  Farragut 
signaled,  and  asked,  ' '  What 's  the  trouble  ?  " 
"Torpedoes,"  was  the  reply. 

This    was    the    critical    moment  of    the   battle. 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


The  backing  of  the  Brooklyn  caused  confusion 
among  the  vessels  following  so  closely  upon  each 
other.  There  was  tremendous  cheering  and 
firing  from  the  Confederates.  They  were  sure 
that  the  victory  was  theirs. 

A  signal  was  made  to  the  Brooklyn  to  go  ahead, 
but  she  remained  motionless. 

What  should  be  done?  To  remain  there,  under 
the  guns  of  the  fort,  with  the  other  vessels  coming 
up  behind,  was  out  of  the  question.  Ahead  lay 
the  dreaded  line  of  torpedoes.  •  Everything  de 
pended  upon  prompt  decision. 

Admiral  Farragut  ordered  the  Hartford  to  go 
ahead,  * '  full  speed. "  She  passed  the  Brooklyn, 
and  made  straight  for  the  mines  that  had-  sunk  the 
Tecumseh.  As  they  crossed  the  line  of  torpedoes, 
the  sailors  could  hear  them  grating  against  the 
hull  of  the  vessel.  None  of  them  exploded,  how 
ever,  and  the  Hartford  passed  the  fatal  line  in 
safety. 

The  effect  of  this  daring  deed  was  wonderful. 
Men  sprang  to  the  guns,  and  the  air  was  filled 
with  the  roar  of  cannon.  The  other  vessels  all 


1 84 


THE  STOR*   OF  ADMIRAL  FA RR A  GUT. 


followed  the  Hartford  across  the  torpedoes,  into 
the  bay.  They  then  attacked  the  Confederate 
fleet,  and  soon  either  captured  or  destroyed  all  but 
the  ram  Tennessee.  This  vessel  had  taken  refuge 

under    the   guns  of    Fort 
Morgan. 

Admiral  Farragut  then 
anchored  about  four  miles 
up  the  bay.  While  his 
men  were  having  break 
fast  the  iron  ram  steamed 
out  boldly  from  the  fort 
to  attack  the  whole  fleet. 
Admiral  Buchanan,  the 
commander  of  the  Con 
federate  fleet,  was  a  brave  officer.  Not  until  after 
a  fierce  combat,  which  lasted  over  an  hour,  was  he 
forced  to  surrender  the  Tennessee. 

This  ended  the  battle  of  Mobile  Bay.  "  It  was 
one  of  the  hardest  earned  victories  of  my  life, 
and  the  most  desperate  battle  I  ever  fought  since 
the  days  of  the  Essex, "  said  Farragut. 

Not  quite  three  hours  had  passed  from  the  time 


ADMIRAL    BUCHANAN. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DMIRA  L  FA  RRAGUT. 


that    Fort    Morgan    fired    its    first    gun    until    the 
Tennessee  surrendered. 

With  the  Confederate  fleet  destroyed,  and 
Mobile  Bay  in  possession  of  Farragut,  the  forts 
were  soon  captured. 

While  Farragut  had  been 
winning  these  victories  in 
the  Gulf,  a  very  brilliant 
naval  battle  had  been 
fought  off  the  coast  of 
France. 

During  the  whole  of  the 
war,  England  had  allowed 
the  Confederates  to  fit  out 
armed  cruisers  in  her  harbors,  and  to  send  them 
out  to  prey  upon  the  United  States  commerce. 
The  most  famous  of  these  cruisers  was  the 
Alabama,  commanded  by  Captain  Raphael 
Semmes.  For  two  years  this  vessel  had  roamed 
the  sea,  burning  and  destroying  nearly  forty 
United  States  merchantmen,  but  always  eluding 
the  war  vessels. 

At  last,  in  June,    1864,    the   United  States   war 


CAPTAIN    RAPHAEL    SEMMES. 


1 86 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


vessel  Kearsarge  discovered  this  enemy  in  the 
harbor  of  Cherbourg,  France.  As  it  would  have 
been  against  the  laws  of  nations  to  fight  a  battle 
in  the  harbor,  the  Kearsarge  remained  outside  to 
prevent  the  Alabama  from  getting  away. 

Finally  on  Sunday,  June  i9th,  the  Alabama 
suddenly  put  to  sea  and  attacked  the  Kearsarge. 
The  vessels  were  evenly  matched. 

The  battle  following  was  terrific.  But  the  crew 
of  the  Kearsarge  proved  to  be  the  better  marks 
men,  and  after  an  hour's  furious  fighting  the 
Alabama  suddenly  gave  a  great  lurch  and  plunged 
to  the  bottom  of  the  ocean.  The  crew  were  picked 
up  by  the  Kearsarge  and  some  English  vessels 
which  happened  to  be  near. 


X. — WELL-EARNED  LAURELS. 

After  the  surrender  of  the  forts,  Farragut  re 
mained  in  Mobile  Bay  until  the  following  Novem 
ber.  His  health  was  suffering  from  his  labors 
and  the  effects  of  the  southern  climate. 

At  this  time,  the  Navy  Department  requested 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


i87 


him  to  take  command  of  an  expedition  against 
Fort  Fisher.  This  greatly  disturbed  him,  and  he 
wrote  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  that  his 
strength  was  exhausted. 

' '  I  am  willing, "  he  said,  *  *  to  do  the  bidding  of 
the  government  as  long  as  I  am  able.  I  fear,  how 
ever,  that  my  health  is  giving  way.  I  have  now 
been  down  to  the  Gulf  five  years  out  of  six,  and  I 
want  rest  if  it  is  to  be  had. " 

When  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  realized  the 
condition  of  his  health,  Admiral  Farragut  was 
granted  the  much  needed  furlough. 

Leaving  his  squadron  in  charge  of  an  efficient 
officer,  he  sailed  north  in  November,  1864.  As 
his  flagship  entered  New  York  harbor,  it  was  met 
by  a  committee  of  city  officials  and  citizens. 
Enthusiastic  crowds  greeted  him  as  he  landed,  and 
a  reception  in  his  honor  was  held  at  the  custom 
house. 

A  few  days  later,  a  committee  of  citizens  sent 
him  a  request  to  make  his  home  in  New  York. 
With  this  request  came  a  gift  of  $50,000.  In 
December,  Congress  created  for  him  the  grade 


i88 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


of  vice-admiral.  All  these  honors  were  gratefully 
and  modestly  acknowledged  by  him. 

In  the  spring  of  1865  peace  was  declared,  and 
Admiral  Farragut  went  for  a  visit  to  Norfolk.  He 
found  that  many  of  his  old  acquaintances  still  felt 
very  unfriendly  towards  him  for  having  taken  up 
arms  against  the  South.  Although  this  pained  him 
deeply,  he  said  that  he  had  never  regretted  having 
done  his  duty. 

In  1866,  the  government'  gave  him  the  title  of 
Admiral.  This  title  made  him  commander  of  the 
whole  American  navy.  It  was  a  rank  created 
especially  for  him.  The  government  could  give 
him  no  higher  honor. 

In  1867,  he  was  appointed  commander  of  the 
European  squadron.  Without  any  request  from 
him,  the  government  sent  permission  for  Mrs. 
Farragut  to  accompany  him  on  this  cruise.  On 
June  28th,  they  sailed  from  New  York  on  the 
steam  frigate  Franklin. 

This  foreign  cruise  was  more  like  the  triumphal 
progress  of  a  king  than  the  official  visit  of  a  naval 
commander.  He  dined  with  the  emperor  of 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  FARRAGUT. 


France  and  the  queen  of  England.  He  visited 
the  ports  of  Russia,  Holland,  and  Belgium.  He 
sailed  again  through  the  blue  Mediterranean,  vis 
iting  the  places  he  had  seen  on  his  former  cruise. 
A  special  excavation  of  the  buried  Pompeii  was 
made  for  his  benefit.  At  Malta,  a  grand  recep 
tion  was  held  in  his  honor. 

But  most  of  all,  he  enjoyed  a  visit  to  his  father's 
Spanish  birthplace.  This  was  in  the  island  of 
Minorca,  just  off  the  eastern  coast  of  Spain. 

He  was  to  visit  the  little  city  on  the  day  before 
Christmas.  The  news  of  his  coming  had  spread 
rapidly  to  all  parts  of  the  island,  and  a  general 
holiday  had  been  proclaimed. 

At  every  village  on  the  way  crowds  of  men  and 
women  came  to  meet  him  and  bid  him  welcome. 
All  along  the  route  soldiers  had  been  stationed  to 
pay  him  honor,  and  give  him  any  assistance  that 
he  might  need. 

Four  miles  from  the  city  gates  he  was  met  by  a 
large  committee  of  citizens,  and  transferred  to  a 
handsome  carriage. 

The  city  walls,    housetops,  and   balconies  were 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A DMIRA L  FA RRA  GUT. 


crowded  with  men,  women,  and  children.  One  old 
man,  with  tears  streaming  down  his  face,  shouted: 
' '  He  is  ours  !  He  is  ours  !  " 

The  admiral  was  entertained  at  the  mansion  of 
one  of  the  prominent  citizens.  A  band  of  music 
played  in  the  vestibule,  while  the  people  came  in 
crowds. 

Early  the  next  day,  surrounded  by  an  excited 
throng,  he  was  escorted  to  all  the  places  of  interest. 
They  finally  went  to  the  great  cathedral,  where 
the  organ  pealed  forth  the  American  national  airs. 

This  was  the  last  place  the  admiral  visited  be 
fore  his  return  to  America.  He  landed  in  New 
York,  November  loth,  1868. 

The  following  summer,  he  made  a  trip  to  the 
Pacific  coast,  to  visit  the  navy  yard  at  Mares 
Island.  You  will  remember  that,  years  before,  he 
had  laid  the  foundations  of  this  navy  yard. 

Returning  from  San  Francisco  to  the  East,  he 
was  taken  very  ill  in  Chicago.  By  careful  nursing 
he  was  able  to  resume  the  journey.  But  he  never 
regained  his  lost  strength,  and  his  health  continued 
steadily  to  fail. 


THE  S TOR  Y  OF  A DMIRA L  FA RRA  GUT. 


The  following  summer  the  Navy  Department 
placed  a  steamer  at  his  disposal,  and  with  his 
family  he  visited  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire. 

This  was  his  last  sea  voyage.  As  the  ship  came 
into  harbor,  he  arose  from  his  sick  bed  at  the 
sound  of  the  salute  being  fired  in  his  honor. 

Dressed  in  full  uniform,  he  went  on  deck. 
Looking  up  with  a  sad  smile  at  his  flag  flying 
from  the  masthead,  he  said  :  ' '  It  would  be  well 
if  I  died  now  in  harness." 

Shortly  after  his  arrival  he  wandered  on  board 
a  dismantled  sloop,  lying  at  the  wharf.  He  looked 
about  the  ship,  and,  as  he  left  her  to  go  ashore, 
he  said  :  ' '  This  is  the  last  time  I  shall  ever  tread 
the  deck  of  a  man  of  war. " 

This  proved  to  be  true.  On  August  i4th,  1870, 
surrounded  by  his  family  and  loving  friends,  he 
died.  He  was  sixty-nine  years  old. 

The  government  sent  a  steam  frigate  to  take  his 
body  to  New  York.  On  the  day  of  his  funeral, 
the  whole  city  was  in  mourning.  The  buildings 
were  draped  in  black.  Bells  were  tolled  and 
guns  fired. 


j  g  2  THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DM  IRA  L  FA  RRA  G  UT. 


His  body  was  laid  in  Woodlawn  Cemetery. 
Heading  the  procession  was  General  Grant,  then 
the  President  of  the  United  States.  Following 
were  many  military  and  naval  officers,  and  thou 
sands  of  soldiers. 

The  government  erected  a  bronze  statue  in  his 
honor.  This  is  in  the  national  capital,  in  Farragut 
Square. 

Thus  ends  the  story  of  the  life  of  America's  first 
admiral,  the  story  of  a  man  who  won  fame  and 
glory  by  constant  effort  for  self-improvement  and 
strict  adherence  to  duty. 


MONUMENT    TO    FARRAGUT    AT    WASHINGTON. 


THE  STORY  OF 

ADMIRAL  DEWE\ 

AND  THE  NAVY  OF  1898 


FOREWORD. 

CAUSES  OF  THE  WAR  WITH  SPAIN. 

On  the  23d  of  April,  1898,  war  was  declared  between  the 
United  States  and  Spain.  To  understand  how  this  came 
about,  we  must  go  back  a  great  many  years. 

Ever  since  the  island  of  Cuba  was  discovered  by  Colum 
bus  in  1492,  the  one  thought  of  the  Spaniards  has  been  to 
gain  wealth  from  the  island  without  giving  anything  in 
return. 

For  many  years,  most  of  the  Cubans  have  been  little 
better  off  than  slaves.  They  have  always  been  very  poor 
and  have  had  to  do  the  hard  work  on  the  plantations  and 
in  the  cities.  At  best,  they  have  never  been  able  to  make 
much  more  than  enough  to  pay  the  taxes  imposed  upon 
them  by  the  Spanish  government. 

The  island  has  been  ruled  by  governors  sent  out  from 
Spain.  Many  of  these  have  been  very  bad  men  whose 
only  desire  has  been  to  get  rich  and  return  home.  For  a 
long  time  the  Cubans  have  wished  to  choose  their  own 
governors,  and  they  have  frequently  tried,  by  force,  to 
secure  the  right  to  do  this. 

195 


FOREWORD. 


From  1868  to  1878,  there  was  a  rebeUion  known  as  the 
''Ten  Years' War. "  But, -one  by  one,  t,.ie  insurgent  bands 
were  scattered  and  their  leaders  killed.  This  war  left 
Cuba  with  a  heavy  debt,  and  the  people  poorer  than  ever. 

The  conduct  of  the  Spaniards,  after  this  war,  was 
more  cruel  and  oppressive  than  before.  Fifty  thousand 
soldiers  were  sent  to  the  island  to  preserve  peace.  The 
people  were  forced  to  pay  for  the  support  of  this  army, 
and  the  taxes  were  almost  unendurable. 

At  last,  in  1895,  some  of  the  Cubans  resolved  to  stand  it 
no  longer.  They  formed  an  army  whose  watchword  was 
"Cuba  Libre,"  meaning  "Free  Cuba,"  and  began  another 
war  with  Spain. 

The  Spanish  governor,  General  Campos,  tried  in  vain 
to  conquer  these  insurgents,  and  was  finally  recalled  to 
Spain.  General  Weyler,  who  was  sent  in  his  place,  proved 
to  be  a  very  cruel  man. 

He  surrounded  the  larger  towns  with  trenches  and 
barbed  wire  fences,  and  built  wooden  forts  or  blockhouses 
for  his  soldiers.  Into  these  fortified  towns,  thousands 
upon  thousands  of  poor  country  people  were  driven,  their 
homes  having  been  burned  and  their  fields  destroyed. 

The  sufferings  of  these  poor  people  were  terrible.  They 
were  huddled  together  in  sheds  and  huts  without  the  means 
even  of  obtaining  food.  Sometimes  several  families  were 
packed  into  one  little  palm-leaf  hut  where  they  had  foul 


FOREWORD. 


197 


air,  foul  water,  and  almost  nothing  to  eat.  Thousands  of 
men,  women,  and  children  died  from  starvation  and  dis 
ease. 

General  Weyler  hoped  by  these  cruel  means  to  starve 
the  insurgents  into  submission,  but  the  war  went  on  just  as 
before.  Throughout  the  island  a  terrible  work  of  destruc 
tion  was  carried  on  by  both  the  insurgents  and  the  Span 
iards.  Railroads  were  destroyed,  and  buildings  and 
plantations  were  burned. 

The  people  of  the  United  States  had  heard  of  all.  these 
things,  but  for  a  long  time  did  not  do  anything  to  stop 
them.  But  when  the  American  consul  at  Havana,  Gen 
eral  Fitzhugh  Lee,  reported  that  many  Americans  were 
among  the  starving,  they  could  endure  it  no  longer.  Food 
and  supplies  were  sent  through  the  Red  Cross  Society,  and 
a  little  of  the  suffering  was  thus  relieved. 

Matters  grew  steadily  worse  in  the  island  until  President 
McKinley  felt  obliged  to  warn  the  Spanish  government 
that  they  must  soon  end  the  war.  He  declared  that  if 
this  was  not  done,  the  United  States  would  recognize 
Cuba  as  an  independent  country. 

Spain  became  alarmed  at  this,  and,  in  October,  1897, 
the  cruel  Weyler  was  recalled,  and  General  Blanco  was 
sent  in  his  place.  This  new  governor  tried  to  stop  the 
war  by  granting  to  the  Cubans  some  of  the  rights  they 
demanded.  He  allowed  them  to  hold  some  of  the  offices. 


198 


FOREWORD. 


He  released  the  American   political   prisoners,  and  set  free 
the  starving  country  people. 

But  it  was  too  late.      The  crops  had  been  destroyed  and 
the  people  could  not  get  a  living.     The  Cuban  army  would 


THE   MAINE. 


not  be  satisfied  with  anything  less  than  independence,  and 
so  the  fighting  continued. 

At  last  an  event  took  place  which  aroused  the  people  of 
the  United  States  to  a  deeper  interest  in  Cuba  than  before. 
The  United  States  battleship  Maine,  commanded  by  Cap 
tain  C.  D.  Sigsbee,  had  been  sent  on  a  friendly  visit  to 
Havana.  On  the  15th  of  February,  1898,  while  lying  in 
the  harbor,  she  was  destroyed  by  a  fearful  explosion.  Two 
hundred  and  sixty-six  officers  and  men  were  killed. 

President  McKinley  immediately  appointed  a  committee 
to  find  out,  if  possible,  the  cause  of  the  disaster.  These 
men  reported  that  the  Maine  was  destroyed  by  a  submarine 
mine  ;  but  they  could  not  find  out  who  had  placed  it  in 
the  harbor  or  who  had  exploded  it. 


FOREWORD. 


199 


There  was  intense  excitement  all  over  the  United  States 
during  this  investigation.  Senator  Proctor  and  others 
went  to  Cuba  to  see  for  themselves  if  the  reports  of  the 
suffering  there  were  true.  When  they  came  back,  they 
told  the  people  what  they  had  seen.  Senator  John  M. 
Thurston  made  a  speech  in  Congress  in  which  he  said  : 

"I  never  saw  so  pitiful  a 
sight  as  the  people  at  Matan- 
zas.  I  can  never  forget  the 
hopeless  anguish  in  their  eyes. 
They  did  not  ask  for  alms  as 
we  went  among  them.  Men, 
women,  and  children  stood 
silent,  starving.  Their  only 
appeal  came  from  their  sad 
eyes. 

"  The  government  of  Spain 
has  not  and  will  not  give  a 
dollar  to  save  these  people, 
the  charity  of  the  United  States.  Think  of  it  !  We  are  feed 
ing  these  citizens  of  Spain  ;  we  are  nursing  their  sick  ;  and 
yet  there  are  people  who  say  that  it  is  right  to  send  food, 
but  that  we  must  keep  hands  off.  I  say  that  the  time  has 
come  when  muskets  should  go  with  the  food." 

Most  of  the  members  of  Congress  agreed  with  Senator 
Thurston.  On  the  19th  of  April,  1898,  they  passed  a  res- 


CAPTAIN    SIGSBEE  OF  THE  MAINE. 


They  are    being  helped  by 


2QO  FOREWORD. 


olution  authorizing  President  McKinley  to  use  the  army 
and  navy  of  the  United  States  to  force  Spain  to  abandon 
all  claim  to  the  island  of  Cuba. 

Spain  was  not  willing  to  give  up  her  control  of  the 
Cubans,  and  therefore  war  was  formally  declared.  It  was 
only  a  few  days  until  actual  hostilities  began. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  the  following  chapters  to  relate  the 
story  of  the  short  but  decisive  struggle  which  followed. 
In  that  struggle  the  navy  of  the  United  States  bore  by  far 
the  largest  share,  and  it  is  therefore  of  the  navy  and  of  the 
brave  officers  who  commanded  it  that  we  shall  have  the 
most  to  say. 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  DEWEY 

AND  THE  NAVY  OF  1898.  • 

I. — THE  BATTLE  OF  MANILA. 

On  the  morning  of  May  i,  1898,  in  the  harbor 
of  Manila,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  naval  vic 
tories  in  the  history  of  the  world  was  won  by  the 
United  States.  The  Spanish  fleet,  though  superior 
in  both  men  and  guns,  was  entirely  destroyed, 
and  hundreds  of  officers  and  men  were  made 
prisoners.  All  this  was  accomplished  by  an 
American  squadron  under  Commodore  George 
Dewey,  without  the  loss  of  a  ship  or  a  man. 
The  way  in  which  it  all  came  about  was  as  follows: 

When  war  was  declared  between  the  United 
States  and  Spain,  Commodore  George  Dewey  was 
at  Hong  Kong,  China,  with  that  part  of  our  navy 
which  was  known  as  the  Asiatic  squadron.  He 
was  at  once  ordered  to  sail  to  the  Philippines, 
and  capture  or  destroy  the  Spanish  fleet  there. 

201 


202 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DM  IRA  L  DE  WE  Y. 


These    Philippine   Islands  are   about  six  hundred 
miles  southeast  of  Hong  Kong.      Their  capital  and 
largest  city  is  Manila,  on  the  island  of  Luzon. 
As  Commodore   Dewey  sailed  out  of  the  bay  at 


MAP    OF    MANILA    BAY. 


Hong  Kong,  he  signaled  to  his  fleet:  "Keep 
cool  and  obey  orders. " 

At  a  little  before  midnight,  on  the  3oth  of  April, 
the  American  vessels  in  single  file,  led  by  the 
flagship  Olympia,  steamed  between  the  forts  which 
guarded  the  entrance  to  the  bay  of  Manila. 

In  order  not  to  be  seen  from  these  forts,  all  the 
lights  on  the  vessels  were  hidden.  Silently  and 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  DEWEY. 


203 


steadily    the    vessels    moved   on,    unseen    by   the 
Spaniards. 

All  of  the  fleet  except  the  Boston  and  McCulloch 
had  passed  in  safety,  when  the  soot  in  the  smoke 
stack  of  the  McCulloch  caught  fire.  Instantly 
the  guns  of  one  of  the 
Spanish  batteries  were 
turned  upon  the  fleet.  The 
Boston  and  McCulloch  re 
turned  the  fire,  but  kept 
on  their  way  and  were 
soon  out  of  range,  having 
received  no  injury. 

When  day  broke,  Com 
modore  Dewey  found  the 
entire  Spanish  fleet  drawn  up  under  the  protection 
of  the  batteries  of  the  Cavite  naval  station  about 
nine  miles  from  the  city  of  Manila.  It  was  com 
manded  by  Admiral  Patricio  Montojo,  one  of  the 
ablest  officers  in  the  Spanish  service. 

At  about  five  o'clock,  with  the  flagship  lead 
ing,  the  Americans  bore  down  upon  the  Spanish. 
Suddenly  there  was  a  muffled  roar,  and  a  sub- 


ADMIRAL    MONTOJO. 


2  Q4.  THE  S  TOR  Y  OF  A  DMIRA  L  DE  WE  Y. 


marine  mine  exploded.  But,  in  the  excitement, 
the  Spaniards  had  fired  it  too  soon,  and  no  dam 
age  was  done. 

This  was  soon  followed  by  the  explosion  of 
another  mine,  but  again  the  Spaniards  had  been 
in  too  great  haste,  and  the  Olympia  escaped 
uninjured. 

Although  Commodore  Dewey  did  not  know  but 
that  many  other  torpedoes  might  be  in  his  path, 
he  never  hesitated.  He  had  been  in  the  battle  of 
Mobile  Bay  with  Farragut,  when  that  brave  com 
mander  had  sailed  boldly  over  a  line  of  torpedoes. 

Soon  the  guns  of  the  batteries  and  Spanish  fleet 
began  to  pour  a  storm  of  shot  and  shell  at  the 
American  squadron.  But,  as  yet,  Commodore 
Dewey  had  not  fired  a  gun. 

The  American  sailors  were  wild  with  excite 
ment.  They  had  been  by  the  guns  all  night, 
and  were  eager  to  begin  the  fray.  Finally  Com 
modore  Dewey  said  quietly  to  the  captain  of  the 
Olympia:  ' '  You  may  fire  when  ready,  Gridley. " 

The  flagship  was  now  within  range,  and  sud 
denly  one  of  the  great  guns  sent  an  answering 


THE  STORY  OF  A  DM  IRA  L  DE  WE  Y. 


shot.  As  its  echoes  went  rolling  across  the  waters, 
every  man  in  the  American  fleet  joined  in  the 
shout,  ' '  Remember  the  Maine/"  These  words 
were  the  battle  cry  at  Manila  Bay. 

Slowly  the  American  vessels  steamed  by  the 
Spanish  squadron  in  single  file,  pouring  in  deadly 
broadsides  as  they  passed.  Then  turning,  they 
retraced  their  course,  drawing  a  little  nearer  to 
the  shore.  This  maneuver  was  repeated  five 
times.  The  marksmanship  of  the  Americans  was 
wonderful,  and  at  the  end  of  two  hours  nearly 
every  ship  in  the  Spanish  fleet  had  either  been 
sunk  or  was  on  fire. 

At  seven  o'clock  Commodore  Dewey  decided 
to  withdraw  out  of  range  of  the  batteries,  to 
give  his  men  a  rest  and  breakfast,  and  find  what 
damage  had  been  done  to  his  own  fleet.  Imagine 
his  surprise  and  joy  at  finding  that  not  a  single 
man  had  been  killed,  and  that  his  vessels  were 
scarcely  injured. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  Americans  returned  to  the 
attack,  soon  silenced  the  forts,  and  burned  or  cap 
tured  all  that  remained  of  the  Spanish  fleet. 


206 


THE  S  TOR  Y  OF  A  DMIRA  L  DE IV E  Y. 


As  soon  as  the  battle  was  over,  Commodore 
Dewey  and  his  men  set  to  work  to  care  for  the 
wounded  Spanish  sailors.  They  treated  them 
like  brothers,  doing  everything  possible  for  their 
comfort. 

After  taking  possession  of  the  arsenal  at  Cavit£, 
Commodore  Dewey  blockaded  the  port  of  Manila, 
and  awaited  further  orders  from  the  department 
of  war.  He  knew  that  if  the  city  of  Manila 
could  be  captured,  it  would  result  in  the  loss, 
by  the  Spaniards,  of  the  entire  Philippine  group. 

These  islands  form  one  of  the  largest  groups 
in  the  world,  and  are  so  rich  and  beautiful  that 
they  are  called  the  ' '  Pearls  of  the  Ocean. "  They 
were  the  most  important  of  the  colonial  posses 
sions  of  Spain. 

When  the  news  of  the  victory  reached  the 
United  States,  there  was  great  rejoicing  all  over 
the  land,  and  Commodore  Dewey  was  the  hero  of 
the  hour.  Congress  at  once  gave  him  a  vote  of 
thanks,  and  promoted  him  to  the  rank  of  rear 
admiral.  It  also  presented  him  with  a  beautiful 
sword,  and  gave  a  medal  to  each  one  of  his  men. 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  DEWEY. 


H. — THE  BOYHOOD  OF  GEORGE  DEWEY. 

Who  was  this  George  Dewey  who  won  that 
famous  victory  in  the  Bay  of  Manila  ?  He  was 
a  native  of  Vermont,  and  had  spent  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  on  the  sea  with  the  American 
navy. 

He  was  born  in  Montpelier  on  the  day  after 
Christmas,  1837.  Montpelier  was  a  pleasant 
place  in  which  to  live.  There  were  hills  to 
climb,  and  a  pretty  little  river  ran  through  the 
fields  and  gardens  behind  the  Dewey  home. 
Here  George  could  wade,  sail  boats,  and  fish. 

Although  he  was  not  fond  of  books,  he  never 
tired  of  Robinson  Crusoe.  With  his  sister  Mary 
as  Friday,  he  tramped  many  times  over  the  hills 
playing  that  they  were  shipwrecked  on  an  island. 

Sometimes  George's  love  of  adventure  got  him 
into  trouble.  One  day  he  read  how  the  famous 
Hannibal  marched,  with  an  immense  army,  over 
the  Alps  in  winter.  The  winters  in  Vermont  are 
very  cold,  and  to  the  ten-year-old  boy  the  snow- 
covered  hills  around  Montpelier  were  as  good  as 


208 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DMIRA L  DE  WE  Y. 


the  Alps.  So,  with  his  sister  Mary  for  an  army, 
the  youthful  Hannibal  started  on  his  march.  The 
campaign  proved  to  be  too  severe  for  faithful 
Mary,  and  she  was  sick  in  bed  for  a  week. 

When  about  eleven  years  of  age,  George  was 
sent,  one  day,  on  an  errand.  As  it  was  a  long 
distance,  he  was  allowed  to  take  his  father's 
horse  and  buggy,  and  one  of  his  boy  friends  for 
company. 

On  the  way  they  came  to  a  ford  which,  though 
usually  shallow,  was  swollen  with  recent  rains. 
When  his  companion  wished  to  turn  back  George 
said,  "What  man  has  done,  man  can  do, "and 
drove,  full  speed,  into  the  river.  The  buggy, 
horse,  and  boys  were  soon  floundering  in  the 
rapid  current. 

When  the  top  and  box  of  the  buggy  began 
to  float  down  stream,  George  never  lost  his 
presence  of  mind.  Commanding  his  frightened 
comrade  to  follow  him,  he  climbed  upon  the 
horse,  and  the  boys  reached  the  shore  in  safety. 

When  he  returned  home,  George  did  not  try 
to  escape  punishment,  but  administered  it  to  him- 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DM  IRA  L  DE  WE  Y. 


self  by  going  to  bed  without  any  supper.  But 
when  his  father  came  to  his  room  and  began  to 
scold  him,  he  thought  it  was  a  little  too  much. 
In  his  lisping  voice  he  replied:  "You  ought  to 
be  thankful  that  my  life  wath  thpared. " 

But  George  Dewey  did  not  play  all  the  time. 
His  father  was  a  good  and  wise  man,  and  believed 
that  a  thorough  education  was  one  of  the  most 
important  things  of  life.  He  obliged  George  to  go 
to  school  regularly  and  conduct  himself  becom 
ingly. 

George  had  an  experience  in  his  first  school 
which  he  never  forgot.  The  scholars  were  an 
unruly  set,  and  they  had  proved  too  much  for 
several  teachers.  When,  one  day,  a  new  master, 
Mr.  Pangborn,  arrived,  the  boys  began  as  usual 
to  make  trouble.  George  was  directed  to  perform 
some  task  and  he  flatly  refused.  In  a  moment  Mr. 
Pangborn  seized  him  and  gave  him  the  worst 
whipping  that  he  had  ever  had. 

Nor  was  this  all.  When  he  had  finished,  Mr. 
Pangborn  marched  the  unruly  George  home  to  his 
father,  the  whole  school  following  in  the  rear. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DM1 R A  L  DE  WE  Y. 


When  Dr.  Dewey  heard  the  story,  he  told  George 
that  if  Mr.  Pangborn's  punishment  was  not  suf 
ficient,  he  would  administer  more. 

This  settled  the  matter  of  disobedience  for 
George.  He  was  too  manly  a  boy  not  to  admire 
his  fearless  teacher.  They  grew  to  be  great  friends, 
and  when  Mr.  Pangborn  started  a  school  of  his 
own  in  Johnson,  Vermont,  George  asked  to  be 
allowed  to  attend.  This  request  was  granted  will 
ingly. 

III. — DEWEY  AS  A  NAVAL  CADET. 

When  George  was  fifteen  years  old,  he  was  sent 
to  a  military  school  at  Norwich,  Vermont.  He 
liked  the  training  so  well  that  he  decided  to  try  to 
get  an  appointment  in  the  Naval  Academy  at 
Annapolis. 

One  day  he  told  one  of  his  school  fellows, 
George  Spalding,  what  he  intended  to  do.  '  'Why, 
Dewey, "  said  Spalding,  * '  that  is  what  I  am  going 
to  do  myself."  Spalding  received  the  coveted 
appointment,  but  as  he  was  not  able  to  go,  George 
went  in  his  place. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A DMIRA L  DE  WE  Y. 


George  Spalding  became  a  minister,  and  when 
the  news  of  Admiral  Dewey's  victory  at  Manila 
reached  the  United  States,  he  preached  a  sermon 
about  it  in  his  church  at  Syracuse,  New  York. 

The  boy  who  goes  to  the  Naval  School  at  An 
napolis  must  be  ready  to  work  hard  with  both  his 
hands  and  his  brain.  The  discipline  is  rigid  and 
no  favors  are  shown  or  allowances  made. 

George  Dewey  was  seventeen  years  old  when 
he  entered  the  Academy.  He  was  a  strong,  active 
boy,  and  fond  of  outdoor  sports.  He  was  also  a 
lad  with  whom  no  one  could  trifle. 

One  day  one  of  the  cadets  called  him  insulting 
names.  George  promptly  knocked  him  down. 
Soon  afterward  another  cadet  tried  to  test  the 
courage  of  the  '  'new  boy, "  but  received  a  worse 
thrashing  than  the  first  one  had. 

The  cadets,  however,  were  a  manly  set,  and 
they  admired  George  for  his  courage  in  defending 
his  rights.  Long  before  the  four  years'  training 
had  expired,  George  was  one  of  the  most  popular 
members  of  his  class.  It  is  greatly  to  his  credit, 
that,  although  study  was  not  naturally  easy  for 


212  THE  STORY  OF  A  DMIRA  L  DE  WE  Y. 


him,    yet  he  graduated   as  the  fifth  in    his  class. 
This,  at  Annapolis,  means  good  honest  work. 

George  was  graduated  in  1858,  and  in  order  to 
finish  his  training,  went  on  a  two  years'  cruise  to 
the  Mediterranean  in  the  Wabash.  On  his  return, 
he  visited  his  old  home  in  Montpelier,  and  while 
there  the  war  between  the  Union  and  the  Southern 
Confederacy  began.  He  hurried  to  Washington, 
where  he  received  his  commission  as  lieutenant. 


IV. — FROM  LIEUTENANT  TO  COMMODORE. 

Lieutenant  Dewey  was  ordered  to  the  steam  sloop 
Mississippi,  one  of  the  Gulf  Squadron,  of  which 
Admiral  Farragut  was  the  commander.  Though 
but  twenty-three  years  of  age,  the  young  lieutenant 
won  the  admiration  of  both  officers  and  men. 

When  the  fleet  passed  the  forts  below  New  Or 
leans,  the  Mississippi  was  the  third  in  the  line.  All 
through  that  terrible  fight,  Lieutenant  Dewey  stood 
on  the  bridge,  amid  the  storm  of  shot  and  shell. 
Whenever  the  guns  flashed  out  in  the  darkness, 
the  sailors  could  see  him  holding  firmly  to  the  rail, 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DMIRA  L  DEWEY. 


giving  orders  as  calmly  as  though  a  battle  were  an 
everyday  affair. 

When  the  Confederate  iron-clad,  Pensacola,  tried 
to  ram  the  Mississippi,  Lieutenant  Dewey  never 
lost  his  presence  of  mind.  By  a  quick  move,  the 
Mississippi  avoided  the  Pensacola,  and  passing  by, 
poured  such  a  broadside  into  the  ram  that  her 
crew  ran  her  ashore  in  a  sinking  condition.  Ad 
miral  Farragut  praised  the  young  lieutenant  warmly 
for  his  brave  conduct  in  this  battle. 

About  a  year  later  the  Mississippi,  while  trying 
to  pass  the  forts  at  Port  Hudson,  ran  aground. 
The  vessel  was  directly  in  range  of  the  enemy's 
batteries,  and  there  was  no  hope  of  saving  her. 
Shot  after  shot  came  crashing  through  her  sides. 

The  officers  who  had  the  task  of  saving  the  crew 
did  not  return  to  the  Mississippi  after  their  trip  to 
a  place  of  safety.  The  rest  of  the  crew  were  saved 
by  Lieutenant  Dewey.  He  was  obliged  to  make 
several  trips  to  the  nearest  vessel  before  he  had 
placed  all  of  the  crew  out  of  danger. 

When  no  one  was  left  on  board  but  Captain 
Smith  and  himself,  they  set  fire  to  the  Mississippi 


2  j  .  THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DMIRA L  DE  WE  Y. 


in  five  places,  so  that  she  should  not  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy. 

As  Dewey  and  the  captain  were  about  to  get  into 
their  boat,  Captain  Smith  said:  ''Are  you  sure  she 
will  burn,  Dewey?  " 

"I  will  take  one  look  more  to  be  sure,"  replied 
the  brave  lieutenant  ;  and,  at  the  risk  of  his  life, 
he  made  his  way  back  and  saw  that  the  fires  they 
had  started  were  making  good  "headway.  He  then 
rejoined  the  captain,  and  they  pulled  away  from 
the  burning  ship. 

After  the  loss  of  the  Mississippi,  Lieutenant 
Dewey  was  ordered  to  one  of  Admiral  Farragut's 
dispatch  boats.  The  admiral  often  came  on  board 
and  was  very  friendly  to  the  young  lieutenant. 

In  1864,  Dewey  was  assigned  to  the  Colorado  as 
first  lieutenant.  This  vessel  was  part  of  the  fleet 
besieging  Fort  Fisher. 

During  the  second  attack  on  the  fort,  the  Colo 
rado  was  ordered  to  go  up  close  to  a  certain  bat 
tery  and  silence  it.  Some  of  the  officers  objected, 
as  the  Colorado  was  a  wooden  vessel  and  had 
already  been  badly  damaged.  Lieutenant  Dewey 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  DEWEY. 


2  I 


said,  ' '  We  shall  be  safer  in  there,  and  the  battery 
can  be  taken  in  fifteen  minutes. "  The  attack  was 
a  success  and  proved  that  Dewey  was  wise  as  well 
as  brave. 

After  the  battle,  Admiral  Porter  came  to  thank 
the  commander  of  the  Colorado  for  the  work  that  his 
vessel  had  done.  The  commodore  replied,  ''You 
must  thank  Lieutenant  Dewey.  It  was  his  move." 

Three  months  later  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  lieutenant  commander  on  account  of  the  cour 
age  and  ability  he  had  shown. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  Dewey's  father  went 
to  see  Farragut  in  New  York.  The  famous  admi 
ral  shook  Dr.  Dewey's  hand  warmly  and  said,  "Sir! 
Your  son  George  is  a  worthy  and  brave  officer  and 
some  day  will  make  his  mark. " 

In  1884  he  was  made  captain.  He  did  not 
receive  the  rank  of  commodore  until  1896. 

During  all  these  years,  he  worked  hard  and  did 
his  duty  faithfully.  When  not  on  the  sea,  he  was 
at  work  on  shore,  teaching  in  the  Naval  Academy, 
making  marine  maps,  or  looking  after  supplies  for 
the  vessels. 


2l6 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  DEWEY. 


Admiral  Dewey's  sailors  are  very  fond  of  him, 
for  although  he  is  strict  he  is  always  just.  The 
two  things  which  he  especially  dislikes  are  disobe 
dience  and  untruth. 

On  one  occasion,  when  captain  of  the  Dolphin, 
his  lieutenant  reported  that  one  of  the  men  had 
refused  to  perform  some  task  on  the  plea  that  it 
was  not  his  work.  Captain  Dewey  came  on  deck, 
and,  looking  sternly  at  the  man,  said: 

"What!  you  refuse  to  do  as  you  are  told! 
Don't  you  know  that  this  is  mutiny?"  Calling  for 
the  guard,  he  ordered  them  to  load  their  guns. 
"Now,  my  man,"  he  said,  "you  have  just  five 
minutes  in  which  to  obey  that  order. "  The  cap 
tain  began  counting  the  minutes,  and  by  the  time 
he  had  reached  four,  the  order  was  obeyed. 

At  another  time,  while  at  Gibraltar,  one  of  his 
sailors  who  had  been  ashore,  came  aboard  late  at 
night,  very  drunk.  Next  morning,  he  tried  to 
excuse  himself  to  the  captain  by  saying  that  he 
had  only  had  two  glasses  of  grog,  but  had  after 
wards  been  sun-struck. 

1 '  You  are  lying,  my  man, "  said  Dewey.      ' '  You 


THE  S  TOR  Y  OF  A  DMIKA  L  DE  WE  Y. 


were  very  drunk.  I  expect  my  men  to  tell  me  the 
truth.  Had  you  told  me  that  you  were  drunk,  I 
would  have  made  the  punishment  as  light  as  pos 
sible.  Now  you  get  ten  days  in  irons  for  lying. " 

In  January,  1898,  Commodore  Dewey  was 
ordered  to  take  command  of  the  Asiatic  Squadron 
at  Hong  Kong,  China. 


V. — THE  AMERICAN  NAVY  IN  CUBAN  WATERS. 

While  Admiral  Dewey  had  been  winning  fame 
at  Manila,  the  Navy  Department  had  organized 
two  other  fleets  which  were  to  be  used  nearer 
home. 

One  of  these  was  called  the  Flying  Squadron 
because  it  was  composed  of  fast  cruisers.  It  was 
stationed  at  Hampton  Roads.  From  this  point, 
it  could  move  quickly  either  north  or  south  to  pro 
tect  the  cities  on  the  Atlantic  coast  in  case  they 
should  be  attacked  by  a  Spanish  fleet. 

The  commander  of  the  Flying  Squadron  was 
Commodore  Winfield  Scott  Schley,  later  a  rear 


2l8 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  DEWEY. 


admiral.  He  was  an  experienced  officer.  He 
had  graduated  from  Annapolis  in  time  to  serve 
all  through  the  Civil  War. 

In  1884,  he  commanded  the  relief  expedition 
which  rescued  Lieutenant  Greely  and  his  explor 
ing  party  at  Cape  Sabine. 
To  do  this,  he  had  to 
sail  through  fourteen  hun 
dred  miles  of  ice-covered 
ocean. 

In  1891,  he  commanded 
the  Baltimore^  stationed  at 
Valparaiso.  One  day,  a 
party  of  his  sailors  who 
had  gone  on  shore  for  pleas 
ure,  were  attacked  by  a  mob.  Two  of  them  were 
killed  and  the  rest  were  made  prisoners. 

Captain  Schley  boldly  went  on  shore  and 
demanded  the  release  of  his  men,  and  a  sum  of 
money  for  those  who  had  been  killed.  As  he 
intimated  that  a  refusal  would  be  followed  by  a 
bombardment  from  the  guns  of  his  vessel,  the 
demand  was  granted. 


ADMIRAL    SCHLEY. 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  DEIVEY. 


219 


Such  was   the    man  that  the  government   had 
selected  to  command  the  Flying  Squadron. 

The  other  fleet  was  much  larger,  and  was  called 
the  North  Atlantic  Squadron.  It  was  composed 
of  great  battleships,  monitors,  cruisers,  and  tor 
pedo-boats.  This  squadron 
was  to  blockade  the  ports 
of  Cuba  in  order  to  pre 
vent  any  foreign  vessel  from 
bringing  aid  to  the  Spanish 
soldiers. 

This  fleet  was  under  the 
command  of  Captain  Wil 
liam  T.  Sampson,  who  was 
also  made  a  rear  admiral  a 
little  later  in  the  war.  The  government  could  well 
trust  this  important  duty  to  Admiral  Sampson. 
Graduating  from  Annapolis  in  1861,  he  had 
served  through  the  Civil  War,  and  afterward, 
step  by  step,  had  won  promotion. 

During  these  years  he  had  seen  service  in  both 
the  Pacific  and  Atlantic  Oceans,  and  had  occupied 
many  responsible  positions  in  the  Navy  Depart- 


ADMIRAL    SAMPSON. 


2  2  o  THE  S  TOR  Y  OF  A  DMIRA  L  DE  WE  Y. 


ment  on  shore.  He  had  also  been  one  of  the 
committee  that  had  investigated  the  loss  of  the 
battleship  Maine. 

All  this  had  prepared  him  for  the  great  task  of 
commanding  the  North  Atlantic  Squadron.  The 
prudence  and  judgment  with  which  he  performed 
this  duty  proved  that  the  government  had  made 
a  wise  selection. 

The  people  of  America  were  still  rejoicing  over 
the  victory  at  Manila,  when  the  news  came  that 
the  Spanish  admiral,  Cervera,  with  four  of  the 
finest  cruisers  in  the  world,  and  three  of  the  latest 
kind  of  torpedo  boat  destroyers,  had  sailed  from 
the  Canary  Islands  for  the  United  States.  This 
caused  some  alarm,  and  wild  reports  were  spread 
as  to  what  these  vessels  might  do.  Admiral 
Sampson,  with  his  fleet,  was  guarding  the  West 
Indian  waters,  and  Commodore  Schley,  with  his 
Flying  Squadron,  was  waiting  at  Hampton 
Roads  in  case  Admiral  Cervera  should  sail 
north.  If  the  Spanish  admiral  could  evade  these 
fleets,  he  might  bombard  the  cities  on  the  Atlantic 
coast. 


THE  S  TOR  Y  OF  A  DMIRA  L  DE  WE  K  2  2  T 


VI. — THE  CRUISE  OF  THE  OREGON. 
In  the  meanwhile,  the  greatest  anxiety  was  felt 
for  the  United  States  battleship  Oregon.  When 
the  Maine  was  destroyed,  this  vessel  was  at  the 
Mare  Island  Navy  Yard  near  San  Francisco. 
Before  war  was  declared  she  had  been  ordered  to 


THE   OREGON. 


join  the  squadron  of  Admiral  Sampson  as  soon  as 
possible. 

To  do  this  she  must  travel  through  fourteen 
thousand  miles  of  stormy  sea,  through  the  danger 
ous  passage  around  Cape  Horn  and  then  up  the 
eastern  shore  of  South  America. 

On  the  1 4th  of  March,  commanded  by  Captain 
Clark,  she  sailed  from  San  Francisco,  entering 
the  straits  of  Magellan  on  the  i7th  of  April.  On 


j  2  2  THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DM  IRA  L  DE  WE  Y. 


the  same  day  that  Admiral  Dewey  reached  the 
Philippines,  the  Oregon  arrived  at  Rio  de  Janeiro, 
Brazil. 

Every  American  was  full  of  anxiety  for  the 
great  battleship.  Surely  Admiral  Cervera  would 
arrive  in  the  West  Indian  waters  before  the 
Oregon  could  pass  through  them.  But  swiftly 
and  steadily  the  great  ship  came  on. 

Finally,  on  the  24th  of  May,  the  Oregon  sighted 
the  harbor  lights  of  Key  West,  and  soon  reached 
a  safe  port.  The  very  next  day,  Captain  Clark 
reported  her  ready  for  duty.  She  had  steamed 
the  length  of  two  oceans  and  not  a  valve  was 
broken  nor  a  repair  needed. 

Much  praise  is  due  to  Captain  Clark  for  bring 
ing  his  vessel  such  a  distance  in  desperate  haste 
in  order  to  help  fight  the  nation's  battles.  But 
we  must  not  forget  that  it  was  the  chief  engineer, 
Robert  W.  Milligen,  and  his  seventy  men,  who 
made  this  possible.  In  spite  of  the  terrible  heat 
in  the  engine  rooms,  these  brave  fellows  worked 
untiringly  to  keep  the  great  ship  moving  steadily 
day  and  night  around  the  continent. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A DMIRA L  DE  W 'E  Y. 


223 


Meanwhile,  on  the  nth  of  May,  an  unfortunate 
affair  had  occurred  in  the  harbor  of  Cardenas,  on 
the  northern  coast  of  Cuba.  Three  of  the  Ameri 
can  vessels  blockading  this  harbor  had  been 
ordered  to  ex 
plore  the  bay. 
Suddenly  the 
Spanish  bat 
teries  on  the 
shore  opened 
fire.  The  tor- 
pe  d  o  boat 
Wins  low,  be 
ing  nearest 
the  shore,  re 
ceived  most 
of  the  enemy's 
shells.  Al 
though  brave- 

i  •  MAP    OF    HARBOR    OF    SANTIAGO    DE    CUBA. 

1  y     returning 

the  fire,  the  little  boat  was  soon  disabled.  Five 
men  were  wounded,  and  Ensign  Worth  Bagley 
and  four  other  men  were  killed.  These  were 


22  A  THE  S  T°R  Y  OF  A  DMIRA  L  DE  WE  Y. 


the  first  Americans  to  lose  their  lives  in  this 
war. 

On  the  following  day,  the  Americans  heard  that 
the  Spanish  fleet  had  arrived  at  Martinique,  a 
small  French  Island  near  the  coast  of  Ven 
ezuela.  This  being  known,  Commodore  Schley 
sailed  from  Hampton  Roads  for  the  West  In 
dies. 

On  the  igth  of  May,  Admiral  Cervera  sailed 
into  the  harbor  of  Santiago  de  Cuba,  on  the  south 
ern  coast  of  Cuba,  and  was  there  several  days 
before  the  Americans  found  it  out.  Commodore 
Schley  hastened  at  once  to  the  mouth  of  the  har 
bor  so  as  to  cut  off  all  hope  of  escape  for  the 
Spanish  admiral.  Admiral  Sampson  soon  arrived 
with  the  main  squadron,  and  the  entire  fleet  kept 
watch,  frequently  bombarding  the  forts  at  the 
harbor's  mouth. 

The  Americans  did  not  attempt  to  pass  into 
the  harbor,  as  the  entrance  was  strongly  pro 
tected  by  torpedoes  ;  so  they  waited  for  a  land 
force  to  arrive,  and  attack  the  enemy  from  the 
rear. 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  DEIVEY. 


225 


VII. — LIEUTENANT  HOBSON  AND  THE  MERRIMAC. 

Soon  after  Admiral  Sampson  arrived  off  San 
tiago,  there  came  to  him  a  young  lieutenant, 
Richmond  Pearson  Hobson.  He  had  a  plan  which 
he  wished  to  propose.  He  said: 

'  'There  is  the  collier 
Merrimac.  Let  a  volun 
teer  crew  just  large  enough 
to  navigate  her  be  selected. 
Then,  after  stripping  the 
old  ship  of  everything  val 
uable,  let  this  crew  run 
her,  after  dark,  into  the 
narrowest  part  of  the  chan 
nel  leading  to  the  harbor; 
and  there  let  them  sink  her 
by  exploding  torpedoes  under  her.  In  this  way 
we  can  block  the  harbor  so  that  Admiral  Cerveia 
cannot  in  any  way  bring  out  his  fleet. " 

He  explained  that  the  crew  of  the  Merrimac 
would  jump  overboard  as  she  sank,  and,  if  pos 
sible,  be  picked  up  by  a  torpedo-boat  or  a  steam 
launch,  which  should  be  stationed  near-by  for  that 


LIEUTENANT    HOBSON. 


226 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DM1 R A  L  DE  WE  Y. 


purpose.  Lieutenant  Hobson  himself,  bravely 
offered  to  lead  this  expedition. 

Admiral  Sampson  determined  to  carry  out  this 
plan,  and  called  for  a  single  volunteer  from  each 
ship.  In  spite  of  the  danger  of  the  undertaking, 
almost  the  entire  crew  of  each  vessel,  not  only 
offered  to  go,  but  begged  to  be  accepted.  Fi 
nally,  eight  men  were  chosen,  with  Lieutenant 
Hobson  as  their  leader.  At  half-past  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning  of  June  3d,  the  Merrimac  was 
headed  straight  for  the  channel.  Lieutenant 
Hobson  stood  on  the  bridge  dressed  in  full 
uniform.  The  other  men  were  at  their  posts 
dressed  in  tights,  ready  to  swim  a  long  distance, 
if  necessary. 

The  crew  of  the  steam  launch,  which  was  fol 
lowing  closely  behind,  saw  the  Merrimac  swing 
across  the  channel  and  then  heard  the  explosions. 
At  the  same  time,  the  air  was  filled  with  the 
flash  and  roar  of  the  guns  of  the  Spanish  forts  and 
ships. 

In  the  face  of  all  this  fire,  and  without  even  a 
cry  of  distress  to  guide  them,  the  crew  of  the 


THE  STORY  OF  A DMIRA L  DE WE Y.  2  2  j 


launch  began  their  search  for  the  heroes  of  the 
Merrimac,  never  giving  it  up  until  daylight. 
Then,  seeing  nothing  but  the  tops  of  the  masts  of 
the  collier,  they  returned  to  the  admiral's  flagship. 

Of  what  had  happened  to  his  men  in  the  mean 
time,  Lieutenant  Hobson  himself  told  afterward: 

'  'When  the  boat  began  to  sink,  and  the  Spanish 
shot  to  fall  about  us,  I  told  the  men  to  lie  flat  on 
the  deck.  It  was  due  to  their  splendid  discipline, 
that  we  were  not  killed.  The  minutes  seemed 
hours,  but  I  said  that  we  must  lie  there  until  day 
light.  Now  and  then  one  of  the  men  would  say, 
*  Hadn't  we  better  drop  off  now,  sir?'  But  I  said, 
'  Wait  until  daylight. '  I  hoped  that  by  that  time 
we  might  be  recognized  and  saved. 

4 'The  old  Merrimac  kept  sinking.  It  was  splen 
did  the  way  the  men  behaved.  The  fire  from  the 
batteries  and  ships  was  dreadful.  As  the  water 
came  up  on  the  decks,  we  caught  hold  of  the  edges 
of  the  raft  which  was  tied  to  the  boom,  and  hung 
on,  our  heads  only  being  above  water. 

1  'A  Spanish  launch  then  came  toward  the  Mer 
rimac.  As  she  drew  near,  the  men  saw  us,  and  a 


228 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  DEWEY. 


half-dozen  marines  pointed  their  rifles  at  our  heads. 
'Is  there  any  officer  in  that  boat  to  receive  a  sur 
render  of  prisoners  of  war?'  I  shouted.  An  old 
man  leaned  out  of  the  launch  and  waved  his 
hand.  It  was  Admiral  Cervera.  The  marines 


THE    MORRO    CASTLE,    COMMANDING     THE     ENTRANCE   OF    THE    HARBOR    OF 
SANTIAGO    DE    CUBA. 


lowered  their  rifles  and  we  were  helped  into  the 
launch." 

A  few  hours  later,  a  boat  bearing  a  flag  of  truce 
came  out  to  the  American  fleet.  It  was  from  Ad 
miral  Cervera,  and  brought  the  message  that 
Lieutenant  Hobson  and  his  men  were  held  as 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DMIRA  L  DEWEY.  2  2  g 


prisoners,  and  that  they  were  well,  only  two  of 
them  being  slightly  wounded. 

Much  honor  is  due  to  Lieutenant  Hobson  for 
this  brave  deed.  But  we  must  not  forget  that  the 
lives  of  the  crew  were  saved  through  the  kindness 
and  nobility  of  Admiral  Cervera.  Not  every  com 
mander  would  so  honor  his  brave  prisoners,  and 
his  action  has  been  much  appreciated  in  America. 

The  sinking  of  the  Merrimac  did  not  obstruct  the 
channel  completely.  The  steering  gear  was  broken 
by  some  of  the  Spanish  shot,  and  Lieutenant  Hob- 
son  was  not  able  to  place  the  vessel  exactly  where 
he  had  intended.  However,  it  would  be  a  dan 
gerous  undertaking  for  the  Spanish  admiral  to  pass 
out  of  the  harbor  at  night. 

Admiral  Sampson  sent  word  to  the  War  Depart 
ment,  that,  if  an  army  were  sent  to  assist  him  on 
land,  they  could  take  the  city  of  Santiago,  together 
with  the  fleet  of  Admiral  Cervera  in  the  harbor. 
Accordingly  General  Shafter,  with  a  large  army, 
landed  near  Santiago  and  began  to  drive  the 
Spaniards  back  into  the  city. 

Desperate   battles  were   fought  at    Siboney,    El 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A DMIRA  L  DE  WE  Y. 


Caney,  and  San  Juan,  but  the  Americans  steadily 
drove  the  enemy  inside  the  fortifications  of  San 
tiago.  During  these  attacks,  the  fleets  helped  the 
army  by  throwing  shells  into  the  city. 


VIII. — THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  CERVERA'S  FLEET. 

On  Sunday  morning,  July  3d,  the  American  ships 
were  lying  quietly  outside  the  harbor  of  Santiago. 

They  were  stretched  in  a 
line  from  Commodore 
Schley's  flagship,  the 
Brooklyn,  seven  miles  east 
ward,  where  Admiral  Samp 
son  had  gone  with  his  flag 
ship  New  York,  in  order  to 
confer  with  General  Shafter. 
From  the  forts  on  the 
shore,  the  great  ships 
looked  like  mere  specks  upon  the  horizon  ;  and  it 
was  hard  to  realize  that  they  were  grim  sentinels 
watching  every  movement  of  the  Spaniards. 

The    * '  bright  work  "  had  all   been  cleaned  and 


ADMIRAL    CERVERA. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DM  IRA  L  DE  WE  Y.  2  \  \ 


the  men  were  at  Sunday  services,  when  suddenly  a 
thin  film  of  smoke  was  observed  to  rise  behind  the 
hills.  The  scene  on  the  battleships  was  changed 
at  once  into  one  of  greatest  activity. 

"The  enemy  is  coming  out!"  was  signaled  in 
red,  white,  and  blue  from  vessel  to  vessel,  and  on 
each  deck  rang  out  the  command,  "All  hands  clear 
ship  for  action  !  " 

There  was  no  confusion  or  noise,  and  every  man 
was  at  his  post.  Powder  magazines  were  opened, 
and  shot  and  shell  were  being  hoisted  to  the  decks. 
The  engineers  stood  waiting  for  the  first  command 
with  every  rod  and  wheel  of  the  great  machinery 
ready  to  move. 

Meanwhile  the  film  of  smoke  had  become  a  thick 
cloud,  and  the  Americans  knew  that  soon  the  Span 
ish  vessels  would  appear.  Suddenly  the  flagship 
of  the  Spanish  admiral  was  seen  speeding  out  of 
the  narrow  channel.  She  passed  the  wreck  of  the 
Merrimac,  and  with  the  spray  dashing  high  over 
her  bows,  started  westward  along  the  coast. 

Close  behind  her  came  another  vessel,  and  then 
another,  until  the  six  Spanish  ships  were  all  rush- 


THR  STORY  OF  A  DMIRA  L  DR  IV  E  Y. 


ing  wildly  for  the  open  sea.  At  full  speed,  the 
Brooklyn,  Texas,  Iowa,  and  Oregon  bore  down  upon 
the  Spanish  ships.  The  Oregon  gained  headway 
so  rapidly  that  she  passed  the  Texas  and  the  Iowa, 
and  came  in  behind  the  Brooklyn. 

Away  to  the  right  between  the  battleships  and 
the  shore,  sped  the  little  yacht  Gloucester.  Her 
captain,  Lieutenant  Richard  Wainwright,  had  been 
an  officer  on  the  Maine  when  that  vessel  was  blown 
up  in  Havana  harbor,  and  so  was,  perhaps,  most 
anxious  of  all  for  a  chance  at  the  Spanish. 

He  sent  the  Gloucester  s\.T&\$ti.  towards  the  Span 
ish  torpedo  boats,  Phiton  and  Furor.  He  did  not 
seem  to  mind  the  fact  that  his  little  yacht  was  no 
match  for  them,  and  that  his  decks  were  covered 
with  Spanish  shell.  Although  aided  to  some  extent 
by  the  large  vessels,  the  destruction  of  the  two 
torpedo  boats  was  due  to  Lieutenant  Wainwright. 
He  never  paused  in  his  deadly  fire  until  both  of 
them  had  surrendered.  It  was  not  long,  however, 
until  the  Spanish  shots  began  to  fall  about  the  other 
American  ships,  throwing  up  great  columns  of 
water. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  ADMIRAL  DEWEY. 


The  Brooklyn  was  the  first  to  reach  the  Spanish 
ships  and  open  fire.  The  Oregon  hastened  to 
assist  Commodore  Schley.  When  the  Americans 
saw  that  not  only  the  Oregon,  but  the  Texas  and 
Iowa  were  gaining  on  the  Spanish,  they  were  wild 
with  excitement.  The  stokers  in  the  engine  rooms 
poured  in  the  coal,  and  the  steam  rose  higher  and 
higher. 

At  half-past  ten  the  battle  was  at  its  height. 
Great  clouds  of  smoke  settled  over  the  water,  and 
the  roar  of  the  guns  echoed  back  from  the  Santiago 
hills.  Now  and  then  anxious  inquiry  passed  from 
one  American  crew  to  another;  but  the  answer, 
4  'All  right!  "  always  came  back  through  the  din  of 
battle. 

One  by  one  the  Spanish  guns  became  silent, 
and  by  eleven  o'clock  all  save  one  of  the  ene 
my's  ships  had  been  driven  ashore,  and  destroyed. 
The  Cristobal  Colon  made  a  desperate  dash  for 
freedom,  and  was  not  overtaken  until  she  had  gone 
fifty  miles  west  of  Santiago.  Then  she  surren 
dered,  having  been  forced  ashore. 

After  the  battle  was  over  the  Americans  bravely 


2  -  .  THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DM  IRA  L  DE  WE  Y. 

went  to  the  rescue  of  the  Spanish  sailors.  They 
climbed  the  ladders  and  went  into  the  burning 
ships,  where  magazines  were  likely  to  explode  at 
any  moment.  They  lifted  the  wounded  men  from 
the  hot  decks  and  took  them  out  of  the  stifling 
smoke  to  their  own  vessels.  Their  boats  picked 
up  the  Spaniards  who  were  struggling  in  the  water 
or  trying  to  climb  up  on  the  shore. 

The  Spanish  loss  on  that  Sunday  was  about 
three  hundred  killed  and  one  hundred  and  fifty 
wounded,  while  nearly  a  thousand  men  were  taken 
prisoners  by  the  Americans.  The  Spanish  vessels 
were  all  complete  wrecks.  There  was  but  one 
American  killed  and  one  wounded. 

Admiral  Cervera  was  a  brave  man.  He  took  his 
fleet  out  of  the  Santiago  harbor  against  his  own 
judgment,  because  he  had  been  ordered  to  do  so 
by  the  Spanish  government  at  Madrid. 

Everything  was  against  him.  Many  of  his 
officers  had  been  given  their  commissions  because 
their  families  were  rich  and  powerful  in  Spain. 
The  sailors  had  not  entered  the  navy  from  choice, 
but  had  been  forced  to  do  so  by  the  government. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DM  IRA  L  DEWEY. 


Many  of  them  had  been  kidnapped  from  their 
homes,  or  from  the  wharves  of  seaport  towns,  and 
forced  on  board.  They  were  ill  treated  and  poorly 
paid.  On  the  morning  of  the  battle  at  Santiago 
they  were  threatened  with  pistols  before  they  would 
go  out  to  meet  the  Americans. 

On  the  other  hand,  every  man  in  the  American 
fleet  had  been  thoroughly  trained  for  the  work  that 
he  had  to  do,  and  was  fighting  for  a  country  which 
he  loved  better  than  life  itself.  He  felt  that  it  was 
an  honor  to  serve  in  the  navy,  and  knew  that 
many  of  his  countrymen  would  be  glad  to  be  in  his 
place. 

Now  let  us  see  what  has  become  of  Lieutenant 
Hobson  and  his  men.  During  all  this  time  they 
had  been  held  as  prisoners  in  Santiago.  Three 
days  after  the  destruction  of  the  Spanish  fleet, 
arrangements  were  made  to  exchange  them  for 
some  Spanish  prisoners.  This  exchange  was 
made  between  the  Spanish  and  American  lines 
near  Santiago. 

When  the  formalities  were  over  and  Hobson 
and  his  men  approached  the  first  American  line,  all 


236 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  DEWEY. 


the  men  cheered  wildly  and  crowded  one  upon 
another  for  a  chance  to  shake  hands  with  the 
heroes.  Lieutenant  Hobson  was  the  hero  of  the 
hour.  He  alone  was  calm,  and  he  modestly  said 
that  any  other  man  would  have  done  the  same 
thing  in  his  place. 


IX. — THE  END  OF  THE  WAR. 

After  the  loss  of  Admiral  Cervera's  fleet,  every 
one  knew  that  it  would  be  only  a  question  of  time 
until  the  city  of  Santiago  must  surrender.  The 
American  army  under  General  Miles  and  General 
Shafter  surrounded  the  city  on  the  land,  while  the 
navy  guarded  the  harbor.  The  Spaniards  could 
not  escape,  nor  could  any  help  reach  them. 

The  next  two  weeks  were  spent  in  trying  to  fix 
upon  terms  of  surrender  that  would  be  acceptable 
to  both  sides.  The  only  fighting  was  a  short  bom 
bardment  of  the  city  by  the  warships  on  the  loth 
of  July. 

At  last  on  July  i;th  the  city  surrendered.  The 
Spaniards  agreed  to  give  up  not  only  Santiago  but 


THE  S  TOR  Y  OF  A  DMIRA  L  DE  WE  Y.  2  •?  7 


also  all  the  cities  and  forts  east  of  that  place,  with 
all  the  soldiers  and  military  supplies.  The  Amer 
icans  agreed  to  send  all  these  soldiers,  numbering 
about  22,000  men,  back  to  Spain,  and  pay  for  their 
transportation. 

After  this  surrender,  General  Miles  with  an  army 
on  transport  ships  sailed  for  the  island  of  Porto 
Rico,  which  is  about  four  hundred  miles  from  Cuba. 
As  usual,  the  navy  went  along  to  protect  the  un 
armed  vessels  and  to  help  the  army  make  a 
landing. 

The  first  fighting  was  on  the  southern  coast,  near 
the  city  of  Ponce,  in  the  harbor  of  Guanica. 
Lieutenant  Wainwright,  with  his  little  ship  the 
Gloucester,  sailed  boldly  into  the  harbor  and  drove 
the  Spaniards  from  the  shore.  The  Americans 
were  then  landed  without  the  loss  of  a  single 
man. 

The  army  was  divided  into  three  divisions,  and 
all  set  out  for  the  city  of  San  Juan  upon  the 
northern  coast.  They  drove  the  Spaniards  before 
them,  taking  possession  of  the  towns  and  cities  as. 
they  advanced. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DM  IRA  L  DE  WE  Y. 


General  Miles  and  his  soldiers  were  everywhere 
welcomed  gladly,  for  the  people  of  this  island  did 
not  like  the  Spanish  soldiers  any  better  than  did 
the  Cubans. 

By  the  26th  of  July,  the  people  of  Spain  had 
begun  to  realize  that  it  was  useless  to  carry  on  the 
war  any  longer.  Accordingly,  word  was  sent  to 
President  McKinley,  by  the  French  ambassador 
at  Washington,  M.  Jules  Cambon,  that  the  Spanish 
government  was  ready  to  consider  terms  of  peace. 

President  McKinley  and  his  cabinet  at  once 
drew  up  a  paper  called  a  protocol,  which  stated 
what  the  Spanish  must  do  before  the  war  could 
be  ended. 

Spain  was  to  give  up  all  claim  to  Cuba,  recall 
her  officials  and  soldiers,  and  permit  the  people 
of  the  island  to  choose  their  own  government. 
Porto  Rico  and  all  the  Spanish  islands  in  the 
West  Indies  were  to  be  given  to  the  United 
States.  Spain  was  also  to  allow  the  Americans 
to  hold  the  city  of  Manila  until  it  should  be 
decided,  by  a  regular  treaty,  what  should  be  done 
with  the  Philippine  Islands.  Five  men  from  each 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DMIRA  L  DEWEY. 


country  should  be  appointed  to  draw  up  the 
treaty,  and  in  the  meantime,  as  soon  as  Spain 
and  the  United  States  should  sign  the  protocol, 
all  fighting  should  cease. 

Spain  was  glad  to  get  peace,  even  on  these 
terms,  and  the  protocol  was  duly  signed  by  both 
governments  on  the  i2th  of  August.  Word  was 
at  once  sent  to  the  armies  and  navies  to  cease 
fighting. 

It  was  very  easy  to  reach  the  American  forces 
in  Cuba  and  Porto  Rico,  but  before  the  message 
could  reach  Admiral  Dewey  at  Manila,  it  must  be 
telegraphed  to  Hong  Kong,  China,  and  then  sent 
by  a  dispatch  boat  to  Manila.  During  the  sum 
mer  vessel  after  vessel  had  sailed  from  San  Fran 
cisco,  carrying  the  army  of  General  Merritt  to 
assist  Admiral  Dewey.  War  vessels  and  ammu 
nition  had  also  been  sent. 

On  the  1 3th  of  August,  not  having  heard  that 
peace  had  been  declared,  General  Merritt  ordered 
a  combined  attack  of  the  army  and  navy  to  be 
made  upon  Manila.  The  vessels  opened  fire  upon 
the  Spanish  fortifications  which  protected  the 


2  .  Q  THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DMIRA  L  DE  WE  Y. 


town,  while  the  troops  of  General  Merritt  drove 
the  Spaniards  back  into  the  city.  After  two  hours 
of  sharp  fighting  the  city  surrendered. 

The  Americans  did  not  lose  a  single  sailor,  and 
only  twelve  soldiers  were  killed  and  forty  wounded. 
The  Spanish  loss  was  much  greater.  In  the  after 
noon  the  stars  and  stripes  were  hoisted  over  the 
government  building  and  the  Spanish  soldiers 
marched  out  of  the  city  and  laid  down  their  arms. 

Thus  with  a  brilliant  victory,  Admiral  Dewey 
closed  the  war  as  he  had  opened  it. 

After  the  signing  of  the  protocol  Admiral  Samp 
son  and  Commodore  Schley  sailed  to  New  York 
with  most  of  their  squadrons  to  repair  what  little 
damage  had  been  done.  When  they  arrived  on 
the  2oth  of  August  the  city  gave  them  a  royal 
welcome.  It  was  arranged  that  the  warships 
should  steam  through  the  harbor  and  up  the  Hud 
son  River  as  far  as  General  Grant's  tomb.  Thus 
every  one  could  see  and  greet  the  naval  heroes. 
The  people  turned  out  by  the  tens  of  thousands 
and  lined  the  shores  cheering  and  waving  flags. 
The  harbor  and  river  were  filled  with  pleasure 


THE  S  TOR  Y  OF  A  DMIRA  L  DE  WE  Y. 


boats  adorned  with  flags  and  streamers,  while 
cannon  on  the  shore  thundered  salutes. 

In  all  history  there  is  not  an  instance  of  such 
great  victories  with  so  small  a  loss  of  men  and 
ships  as  in  this  war  with  Spain.  In  less  than  three 
months  the  United  States  had  driven  the  Spanish 
power  from  the  western  hemisphere.  It  had 
added  new  possessions  in  both  hemispheres  and 
had  shown  that  it  was  entitled  to  rank  with  the 
most  powerful  nations  of  the  earth. 

As  soon  as  the  people  of  the  United  States  felt 
that  peace  was  assured  they  held  great  jubilees  in 
Chicago  and  Philadelphia.  Triumphal  arches 
were  erected  under  which  marched  the  heroes  of 
the  war,  cheered  to  the  echo  by  their  fellow 
citizens. 

Several  new  battleships  more  powerful  than 
any  that  had  taken  part  in  the  recent  splendid 
victories  were  launched,  with  imposing  ceremonies, 
at  Newport  News,  Virginia. 

From  all  this  it  would  seem  that  the  people  of 
the  United  States  at  last  realized  that  at  all  times, 
whether  in  peace  or  war,  the  country  should  have 


2  .  2  THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  DEWEY. 


a  powerful  navy.  This  navy  should  be  in  keeping 
with  the  position  that  the  United  States  has  won 
among  the  nations  of  the  world,  and  worthy  of 
the  brave  officers  and  sailors  who  spend  their  lives 
in  its  service. 


X. — LIFE  ON  AN  AMERICAN  MAN-OF-WAR. 

When  a  battleship  is  hurling  shot  and  shell  at 
an  enemy,  the  brave  deeds  of  the  officers  and 
men  on  board  are  told  from  one  end  of  the  land 
to  the  other;  but  how  many  people  know  how  these 
men  live  from  day  to  day,  when  the  great  ship  is 
lying  in  the  harbor,  or  cruising  peacefully  about 
the  seas? 

Who  makes  the  lieutenant's  bed  and  buys  his 
food?  Most  people  think  that  the  government 
provides  all  that  he  needs;  but  this  is  not  so.  He 
must  carry  his  own  bed  linen  to  sea  with  him  and 
arrange  for  his  own  food. 

The  officers  choose  one  of  their  number  to  buy 
the  provisions,  and  he  must  give  good  meals  at 
one  dollar  a  day  for  each  man.  At  the  end  of 


THE  S  TOR  Y  OF  A  DM  IRA  L  DE  WE  Y.  „  .  ~ 
243 

the  month,  every  officer  pays  this  amount  out  of 
his  salary. 

The  first  meal  of  the  day  is  always  eggs,  and  is 
served  at  any  time  from  7:30  until  8:30  in  the 
morning.  If  ever  a  naval  officer  invites  you  to 
breakfast,  he  does  not  expect  you  to  come  to  this 
meal.  He  calls  a  twelve  o'clock  luncheon  break 
fast,  and  will  give  you  a  substantial  meal  at  that 
time.  Dinner  is  served  at  6  or  6:30,  and,  on  the 
flagship,  is  accompanied  by  the  band. 

The  ward-room  boys  who  wait  upon  the  officers 
are  almost  all  Japanese.  Because  their  names  are 
so  hard  to  pronounce,  every  one  is  called  "  Wil 
liam.''  When  the  big  ship  is  hurling  shot  and  shell 
in  time  of  battle,  where  is  William?  In  the  pantry 
washing  dishes?  No,  indeed. 

Somebody  must  be  down  in  the  magazine  put 
ting  the  powder  on  the  hoists  which  carry  it  up  to 
the  guns.  This  is  William's  work.  In  time  of 
fire,  it  is  he  who  holds  the  nozzle  of  the  hose,  or 
who  brings  hammocks  to  smother  the  flames. 

Now  "  Jacky, "  as  the  sailor  man  is  called,  does 
not  provide  his  food  or  his  bed-linen.  His  bed  is 


244 


THE  S  TOR  Y  OF  A  DMIRA  L  DE  WE  Y. 


a  hammock,  and  it  is  a  very  different  one  from 
those  we  swing  on  our  porches  in  summer.  It  is 
made  of  canvas,  with  ropes  in  the  ends.  He  has 
a  mattress  and  a  blanket  in  his  bed,  and  he  always 
keeps  them  there. 

At  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  bugle  calls,  and 
Jacky  has  six  minutes  in  which  to  scramble  out  of 
his  bed  and  get  into  his  clothes.  Then  he  must 
roll  up  his  hammock  and  stow  it  away.  Jacky 
then  has  some  hard  tack  and  coffee  before  he  goes 
to  work. 

From  half-past  five  until  six  he  does  his  laundry 
work.  He  wears  white  suits  and  must  wash  them 
himself  ;  untidiness  is  never  excused.  The  clothes 
are  then  hung  so  as  to  be  dry  for  the  inspection 
drill  which  will  come  at  half-past  nine. 

Then  for  one  hour,  the  ship  is  scrubbed.  Water 
pours  over  the  decks  in  streams.  Every  nook  and 
cranny  is  numbered,  and  each  man  has  his  own 
number  to  keep  clean. 

By  half-past  seven  there  is  nothing  cleaner  on 
land  or  sea.  The  ship  shines  from  prow  to  stern, 
and  the  decks  are  clean  enough  to  eat  from. 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  DEWEV. 


245 


Every   piece  of  metal  is  polished    until  it  glitters 
in  the  sunlight. 

When  this  is  finished,  Jacky  has  his  breakfast. 
The  government  allows  thirty  cents  a  day  for  the 
rations  of  each  sailor.  The  paymaster  serves  out 
food  enough  to  last  several  days  or  sometimes  a 
week,  and  if  the  cook  does  not  make  this  last  the 
crew  must  go  hungry. 

The  sailors  are  divided  into  * '  messes, "  each 
mess  having  its  own  cook  who  is  under  the  direc 
tion  of  the  general  ship's  cook.  Jacky  has  no 
table-cloth  or  napkins.  Pie  washes  his  own  tin 
plate,  cup,  knife,  fork,  and  spoon,  when  he  has 
finished  his  hasty  meal. 

At  eight  o'clock,  he  is  dressed  for  the  day,  and 
the  colors  go  up.  From  then  until  six  o'clock  in 
the  evening  he  is  busy  with  different  drills  and 
duties  about  the  ship.  In  the  evening,  from  six 
until  eight  o'clock,  Jacky  has  an  easy  time.  It  is 
then  that  he  takes  his  ease,  smoking  his  pipe  and 
singing  his  songs. 

At  nine  o'clock  ' '  taps  "  are  sounded,  and  once 
more  he  rolls  up  in  his  hammock  for  the  night. 


246 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DMIRA  L  DE  WE  Y. 


Saturday  is  mending  day,  and  every  man  must 
do  his  own  work.  Some  of  the  men  make  their 
own  clothes,  although  there  is  a  tailor  on  board. 
In  the  ship's  crew  there  are  also  barbers,  shoe 
makers,  and  printers. 

On  Sunday  morning,  the  captain  goes  about  the 
ship  and  gravely  inspects  the  men,  and  it  is  then 
that  each  one  tries  to  look  his  best  Then  they 
must  all  attend  religious  services,  after  which  they 
rest  most  of  the  day. 

The  marines  on  a  ship-of-war  are  men  about 
whom  most  people  know  nothing.  A  marine  is 
not  a  sailor.  He  is  a  soldier  who  does  duty  on  a 
warship.  He  is  a  kind  of  policeman,  and  sees 
that  Jacky  behaves  himself.  He  wears  a  soldier's 
uniform  and  has  soldier's  drills. 

The  marines  have  their  own  mess  and  their 
own  sleeping  space,  forming  a  community  of  their 
own. 

Perhaps  some  boys  and  girls  may  think  that  the 
captain  and  his  officers  have  a  much  easier  time 
than  Jacky  or  the  marines.  This  is  not  so. 
In  the  first  place,  they  had  many  studies  to 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DM  IRA  L  DEWEY.  2  ,  « 


master  before  they  could  be  officers.  They  had 
to  earn  a  great  deal  about  mathematics,  mechan 
ical  and  electrical  engineering,  navigation,  gun 
nery,  and  international  law.  And  then  these 
studies  are  never  ended;  the  progress  that  is  made 
in  them,  each  year  all  over  the  world,  must  be 
known  by  each  officer. 

The  officers  are  responsible  for  the  lives  of  the 
crew  and  the  safety  of  the  ship.  They  must  be 
ready  to  think  and  act  quickly  in  -emergen 
cies.  In  hours  of  peril  they  never  leave  their 
posts. 


XI. — SOME  FACTS  ABOUT  THE  NAVY  OF  1898. 

The  Constitution  of  the  United  States  provides 
that  the  President  shall  be  commander-in-chief 
not  only  of  the  army  but  also  of  the  navy.  His 
chief  assistant  in  the  management  of  naval  affairs 
is  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  who  is  also  a  mem 
ber  of  his  cabinet. 

In    1898   the  Navy  Department  of  the   United 


248 


THE  STORY  OF  ADMIRAL  DEWEY. 


States  was  just  one  hundred  years  old,  having 
been  organized  in  1798  with  Benjamin  Stoddert  as 
Secretary. 

The  work  of  the  department   is  divided  among 
eight  bureaus,  as  follows: 

1 .  The  Bureau  of  Yards  and  Docks,  which  is  in 
trusted  with  the  construction  and  maintenance  of 
docks  and  wharves,  and  with  all  civil  engineering 
work  in  the  navy  yards. 

2.  The  Bureau  of    Navigation,    which    superin 
tends   the  education  of  officers  and  men,  controls 
the  enlistment  of  men  and  apprentices,  and  directs 
the  movements  of  ships  and  fleets. 

3.  The  Bureau  of  Equipment,  which  attends  to 
the    manufacture  of    ropes,    anchors,    cables,    and 
other  articles  required   for  the  equipment  of  naval 
vessels,  purchases  coal   for  their  use,  and  controls 
the  Naval  Observatory. 

4.  The  Bureau  of  Ordnance,   which  has  charge 
of  the  manufacture  of  guns  and  ammunition,  also 
of  torpedo  stations  and  magazines. 

5.  The    Bureau    of    Construction    and    Repair, 
which  is  charged   with  the   building  and  repair  of 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A DMIRA L  DEWEY.  2  .  g 


small  boats  and  of  the  hulls  of  ships,  and  attends 
to  the  purchase  of  turrets  and  armor. 

6.  The  Bureau  of  Steam    Engineering,    which 
directs  the  building  and  repairing  of  machinery  in 
any  way  connected  with  the  ships. 

7.  The  Bureau  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  which 
designs,    erects,    and    maintains    naval    hospitals 
and  superintends  their  management. 

8.  The  Bureau  of  Supplies  and  Accounts,  which 
is  responsible  for  the   purchase  and  supply  of  all 
provisions  and  stores,  and  of  the  accounts  relating 
to  the  same. 

Each  of  these  bureaus  is  presided  over  by  an 
officer  of  skill  and  experience,  who,  while  he  holds 
the  office,  has  the  rank  of  commodore. 

The  United  States  has  navy  yards  at  Ports 
mouth,  New  Hampshire;  Boston,  Massachusetts; 
Brooklyn,  New  York;  League  Island,  Pennsyl 
vania;  Norfolk,  Virginia;  Washington,  District  of 
Columbia;  and  Mare  Is/and,  California.  At  these 
navy  yards  ships  are  overhauled  and  repaired, 
machinery  is  adjusted  and  renewed,  and  stores 
of  all  kinds  are  provided.  Here,  too,  on  the 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  ADMIRA L  DE  WE  Y. 


receiving  ships,  the  recruits  are  received  and  in 
structed. 

There  are  naval  stations  at  Newport,  Rhode 
Island;  New  London,  Connecticut;  Port  RoyaL 
South  Carolina;  Key  West  and  Pensacola,  Florida; 
and  Puget  Sound,  Washington. 

At  Indian  Head,  Maryland,  is  the  naval  prov- 
ing-ground  for  the  test  of  armor  and  guns. 

The  Naval  Observatory  is  at  Washington,  and 
was  at  first  merely  a  depot  for  naval  charts  and 
instruments. 

In  1898,  the  highest  officer  in  the  American 
navy  was  the  rear  admiral.  The  other  officers  in 
their  order,  ranking  downward,  were  commodores, 
captains,  commanders,  lieutenant  commanders, 
lieutenants,  lieutenants  junior  grade,  and  ensigns. 
All  these  are  known  as  officers  of  the  line. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  there  were  seven  rear 
admirals,  ten  commodores,  forty-one  captains,  and 
eighty-five  commanders. 

The  rank  of  rear  admiral  is  equal  to  that  of 
major  general  in  the  army.  A  commodore  is  equal 
to  a  brigadier  general;  a  captain  in  the  navy  ranks 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  ADMIRAL  DE  WE  Y.  2  C  1 


with  a  colonel  in  the  army;  a  commander  ranks 
with  a  lieutenant  colonel;  and  a  lieutenant  in  the 
navy  is  equal  to  a  captain  in  the  army. 

The  law  provides  that  when  an  officer  reaches 
the  age  of  sixty-two  years  he  must  be  retired  from 
active  service.  One  who  has  been  disabled  in  the 
service,  or  who  has  served  honorably  for  forty 
years  and  requests  release,  may  also  be  retired. 
Officers  on  the  retired  list  receive  three-fourths  as 
much  pay  as  when  on  active  duty  at  sea. 

Rear  Admiral  Dewey  will  be  retired  on  the  26th 
of  December,  1899.  In  1898  there  were  thirty- 
three  rear  admirals  on  the  retired  lists. 

The  officers  while  at  sea  receive  more  pay  than 
when  on  shore  duty.  The  salary  of  an  ensign  at 
sea  is  $1200  a  year;  that  of  a  rear  admiral  is 
$6,000.  The  salaries  of  the  other  officers  range 
between  these  two  extremes. 

Previous  to  1898  the  number  of  enlisted  men  in 
the  navy  was  limited  to  ten  thousand.  These  men 
are  received  for  a  period  of  three  years  ;  and  any 
one  after  serving  continuously  for  twenty  years  may 
be  assigned  to  duty  in  the  navy  yards,  or  on  board 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  ADMIRAL  DE  WE  Y. 


receiving  ships,  or  to  other  duties  not  requiring 
them  to  go  far  from  home.  All  who  have  served 
thirty  years  are  entitled  to  admittance  in  the  Naval 
Home.  The  wages  of  enlisted  men  vary  from  $16 
to  $70  a  month,  according  to  the  kind  of  work  they 
perform. 

The  law  provides  that  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
boys  may  be  enlisted  as  apprentices  in  the  navy. 
These  are  received  only  with  the  consent  of  their 
parents  or  guardians,  and  are  required  to  serve 
until  they  are  twenty-one  years  old. 

Besides  the  regular  navy  of  the  United  States 
there  is  a  naval  militia  organized  in  eighteen  states. 
This  militia  is  under  the  general  direction  of  the 
Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy;  and  its  duty  in 
time  of  war  is  to  man  the  vessels  designed  for  coast 
and  harbor  defense. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1898  there  were 
more  than  four  thousand  men  and  officers  in  the 
naval  militia.  During  the  war  with  Spain,  most  of 
these  were  mustered  into  the  naval  service  and  did 
duty  on  the  war  vessels  or  in  the  signal  service 
along  the  coast. 


THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DMIRA  L  DE  WE  Y. 


At  the  close  of  the  year  there  were  belonging  to 
our  government  nine  battleships,  all  of  which  had 
been  built  since  1890.  Four  others  were  in  process 
of  construction.  The  average  cost  of  vessels  of 
this  class  is  about  $3,500,000. 

Of  other  vessels  in  the  navy  of  1898,  there  were 
two  armored  cruisers  \vhich  cost  $2,986,000  each; 
one  ram,  the  Katahdin;  six  double  turreted  mon 
itors;  thirteen  single  turreted  monitors;  seventeen 
protected  cruisers ;  four  unarmored  cruisers ;  fifteen 
gunboats  ;  and  ten  torpedo  boats.  Many  other 
vessels  of  different  classes  were  being  built. 

All  these  were  in  active  service,  or  soon  to  be  so. 
But  there  were  also  several  other  vessels  of  the 
old-fashioned  style  which,  although  of  little  use  in 
battle,  were  valuable  in  the  various  peaceful  enter 
prises  in  which  the  navy  is  always  engaged.  Of 
such  there  were  six  old  iron  vessels  and  ten  wooden 
frigates,  all  propelled  by  steam,  and  seventeen  old 
wooden  sailing  vessels,  some  of  which  were  used  as 
receiving  ships. 

During  the  war  with  Spain,  many  temporary 
additions  were  made  to  the  navy.  Eleven  mer- 


2  r  A  THE  STOR  Y  OF  A  DMIRA  L  DE  WE  Y. 

chant  vessels  were  bought  or  leased  and  converted 
into  auxiliary  cruisers.  Among  these  were  the 
four  fast  steamers  of  the  American  line,  the  St. 
Louis,  the  St.  Paul,  the  Yale,  and  the  Harvard. 

Twenty-eight  yachts  also  were  purchased  and 
turned  into  auxiliary  gunboats  or  torpedo  boats. 
Among  these  was  the  Gloucester,  which  did  such 
fine  work  during  the  destruction  of  Cervera's  fleet. 
It  had  formerly  been  a  pleasure  yacht  belonging  to 
Mr.  J.  Pierpont  Morgan  of  New  York. 

In  addition  to  the  vessels  just  named,  the  gov 
ernment  also  bought  twenty-seven  tugs  to  be 
changed  into  gunboats  or  cruisers  ;  and  it  obtained 
seventeen  steam  vessels  of  various  sizes  to  be  used 
as  transports  and  for  many  other  purposes. 

Altogether  the  navy  of  1898  comprised  an  impos 
ing  collection  of  vessels  of  many  kinds  and  of 
various  degrees  of  efficiency.  Of  the  work  which 
it  accomplished  we  have  already  learned. 


.re  30365 


